Smallville: The Justice of Love
by CKALLDAY
Summary: Set in an alternate Smallville universe loosely set after season 3, a high school aged Clark Kent meets a young Lois Lane, while struggling with his abilities & who he must become. He explores the world, makes new friends, and faces some of the world's most deadly villains. As he journeys to become Earth's greatest protector, he inspires a new generation of heroes in the process.
1. The Cardinal

_The bright yellow sun rose as a beautiful red cardinal flew through the sky until it reached its final destination: the end of a telescope that peaked out of a loft of a great big red barn. As the bird landed, the rays of the sun entered into the loft and shined on the motionless body lying down. A young man lifted his head off of the couch as he adjusted his eyes and focused on the bird. _

"Good morning Louie." The young man yawned.

The bird quietly chirped back and then flew off.

"Time to wake up Clark," the man said in high pitch voice in an attempt to mimic what he thought a bird's voice would sound like.

As he began to stretch, he heard a barrel of footstep coming towards him and before he knew it, he was covered in kisses.

"Well good morning to you too, Shelby!" he chuckled as the dog spun in circles in anticipation for Clark to get up.

"Clark Kent! Get in here now!" a voice entered the window of the loft from a distance.

Clark looked at Shelby, just realizing he fell asleep once again in the loft of the barn. This was the fourth night in a row and his parent's had warned him that there would be consequences if it happened again. Clark began the trip to the house knowing he was bound to get a tongue lashing from his father… once again. He calmly made his way down the steps from the loft, sliding his hands into his pockets.

He had spent the early part of the previous night staring at the stars through his telescope. His heart was still hurt after his recent break up with Lana Lang, the most popular girl in school. He had laid there staring into space wondering where to go from there. He thought he loved Lana. He thought he trusted her. He even thought that they may have even been destined for each other. But when she broke things off just one week prior, he knew he only had himself to blame. He was never going to be able to open up to Lana and share who he truly was. And that made him feel more alone than anything in the world. After a couple of hours of searching for something in the sky, a basketball slowly rolled and stopped up against his side.

"I'm not in the mood Shelby." He kicked the ball away before it quickly rolled back to him.

"Alright you win!" he exclaimed.

Clark grabbed the ball headed for the hoop just outside the barn, with Shelby not far behind. He spent the next hour shooting basketball. It was the only thing in his life that calmed him down. It was just him, the ball, and the basket. It felt natural, peaceful, and it felt right. He made basket after basket while Shelby would rebound the ball, bumping it back towards Clark. This was his game. The game he fell in love with as a kid.

_He remembered back to when he was only 10 years old, learning how to shoot and dribble from his father, Jonathan. He was discovering his first love without even knowing it. He and his Dad spent almost every night practicing and it wasn't long before Jonathan realized that Clark was special. After only two weeks, Clark was already dribbling between his legs, shooting with perfect form, and understanding how the game was played. Jonathan immediately envisioned his son suiting up for his beloved Kansas Jayhawks, only to later find out that his song favored another team whose mascot also happened to be a bird, The Louisville Cardinals._

_ It only took one more week until Jonathan and his wife, Martha, discovered that their son wasn't just special, he really was out of this world. Clark laughed at the memory of the look on his mom's face after witnessing him discover his first ability. He and Jonathan were playing a little game of one on one. They were tied and the next basket scored would win. Clark had the ball, as his Dad got in his defensive stance. With one swift move, Clark faked a step towards his Dad causing him to take a couple steps back. Before his parents eyes, 10 year old Clark Kent took a dribble and a step, rose up and soared over his father as he dunked to ball on the 10 foot goal. His Dad's jaw dropped. His Mom covered her mouth as her eyes grew as large as the basketball he had just dunked. Clark landed, turned towards his parents and whispered, "whoa." _

As Clark threw on his favorite Louisville Cardinals t-shirt and his favorite flannel shirt over top, he took a seat at the table. Jonathan began one of his classic speeches about responsibility, while standing at the window, peering out at the cornfields. With his back to Clark, Clark mouthed and mimicked his father's speech from memory.

"Son, I understand that things aren't as easy for you as other kids. You've spent your first 18 years of life feeling like an outsider."

Clark quickly interrupted. "Well Dad, if you would let me play sports, maybe I wouldn't feel that way. I understand football is too dangerous for the other kids and baseball would expose my powers too easily. But basketball I could do. Sure, I could super speed past everyone or dunk from the other side of the court, or set the other team's jerseys on fire with my eyes. But I was a natural at basketball before my powers. I know how to control them and still be successful because you taught me how to play, the right way to play. It's the only thing I've been able to do without the temptation of using my powers. It's the only thing that's made me feel human."

"Look, your mother and I know that all you want is to accepted for who you are. But you have to understand, you have a bigger purpose in life. When we found you and your ship in that field, we realized that you were sent here for much more than to play a game. You just have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be Clark. Whoever that man is, he's going to change the world."

Clark began to speak before he was instantly shut up by the smell of the apple pie his mother had just placed on the table. He sat there in silence while woofing down the meal before him. His mother picked up where Jonathan had left off.

"Honey, it's not that we don't want you to play. We would love nothing more than for you to be happy. But you should be focusing on learning more about your home planet, Krypton. When was the last time you visited Jor-El?"

"I don't know mom, a month maybe."

"Okay, well once you stop brooding around here about Lana" Clark winced at the name. "You need to pick right back up on your training. Is that understood?"

"Yes mom."

"And I'm sorry once again for how things ended with Lana. I know how badly you wanted to open up to her.

"It's okay mom, I knew she wasn't the one I wanted reveal my true self to. I could never be myself around her and it only hurt us both and held us back. I've began to accept that I'll probably never find the woman of my dreams."

"You'll find that special someone one day Clark. She will blow you away. You won't be able to breathe around her. You won't be able to stop thinking about her. And most importantly you will be able to be yourself around her without even trying. Promise you won't lose hope on that."

"I promise mom."

"And no more nights out in the barn, I want you under this roof with us so your mother isn't worried sick about you." Spoke Jonathan.

Clark nodded his head and watched five cardinal birds fly across the sky in unison. How he wished to be one of them so that he escaped it all. He wanted to fly away sometimes and be free to experience the world. As he lost himself in his dreams his phone rang. It was his best friend Chloe.

"Hey Chloe, I'm almost done eating."

"Yeah sorry Clark, my cousin kind of had an emergency and is staying with me and my Dad for now. I'm already running late thanks to her COMPLETE LACK OF BATHROOM SHARING EQUALITY," She raised her voice away from the phone. "I have to get to the Torch before school starts for some last minute edits so I won't be able to pick you up."

"That's fine Chloe, I can just-"

"Don't worry Clark, my lovely cousin just volunteered to swing by and give you a ride. She'll be there in 15 minutes."

"But Chloe I don't… wait… which cousin?" He asked with raised eye brows and a concerned look.

"You know which one, see you at school Clark!" And the phone went dead.

He sat there for a minute looking at his phone. "What just happened?" He breathed looking at his mom.

"What was that about, sweet heart?"

"I… I have a new ride to school today."

"Nobody named Chloe?"

"No," he said while looking back at his phone. "Her cousin."

Clark gathered his back pack and grabbed an apple and headed out the door. His mind was flooded with thoughts about meeting Chloe's infamous cousin. The one she never shut up about. Clark would never admit it to Chloe but he secretly couldn't stand it. The more and more Chloe described her or told stories about her, he became more and more irritated. Just the sound of her name sounded like nails on a chalk board. And now he was going to have sit through an entire car rid with her. For a second he considered just super speeding to school like he originally planned but saw his basketball out of the corner of his eye. "Well I guess I can shoot around until she gets here" He thought to himself. "Hopefully that will keep me calm enough to last the trip to school." He removed his shirts, revealing his perfectly sculpted upper body and abs. He put them in his bag before noticing Shelby staring at him. "What? I don't want get my shirts all sweaty before school." The dog licked its lips before lying down to watch Clark.

Meanwhile a car flew down a gravel road towards the Kent farm. A young woman sat in the driver's seat blasting her favorite _Whitesnake _song while singing at the top of her lungs. She scrunched her nose as the smell of cow manure filled her nostrils. "What am I getting myself into?" She questioned between verses of the song. Just as her favorite part of the song was about start, a red bird flew by her head and landed on the steering wheel. Startled, she swatted at the bird while losing control and spun off the side of the road. "Great!" she yelled, getting out and seeing that she was stuck in the mud. She looked up and saw a farm in the near distance. "How do I always seem to get myself in these situations? First boys, then school, now this, I'm stuck in 'podunk farmersville' where birds attack you out of nowhere!" She complained as she began walking towards the farm.

She was still complaining to herself as she got closer until she spotted him. "Well hello Smallville," she whispered seductively, admiring his physique. "Where has this town been hiding you?" She crouched down behind the tractor and watched him.

Clark, completely unaware she was watching, was lost in the game he loved. Everything was just so peaceful. The girl watched as he made shot after shot. She rolled her eyes, thinking he must be another dumb jock who only cared about getting girls and partying. Clark drove towards the basket and dunked it with ease. The ball rolled back behind him towards the driveway before stopping at the foot of a girl wearing jeans and a very revealing tank top. She had light chestnut colored hair and prettiest hazel colored eyes he had ever seen. She picked the ball up and looked around. "I don't understand how you country folks can live out here." She shook her head until her eyes landed on Clark's chest and followed up to his eyes." Her heart fluttered a little bit and her face reddened slightly. 'That was weird.' She thought. 'I have never had that happened before.'

Snapping out of it, she tossed the ball at Clark, who was staring at her speechless. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. That thought quickly left his head as the ball drilled him in the groin, dropping him to his knees. That was the one area on his body that was still vulnerable to a little pain without a help from some kryptonite.

She gasped, "Oh sorry, I thought you were looking at me." She helped him to his feet before they stood just a foot from each other.

Clark began to swear in his mind. He already didn't like her. He was convinced this was going to be the worst car ride of his life. Then he looked into her eyes again. All of the sudden a calm rushed over him. He had never experienced anything like this. He didn't know why but her eyes made him feel safe, loved, and accepted all at the same time.

A cardinal bird landed on the goal looking down on them. Neither of them knew it at the time, but they would both look back on this moment as the moment they had fallen hopelessly in love with each other.

"Hello… hello!" She waved a hand in front of his face. "You are Chloe's friend Clark, right?"

He broke his stare and quickly shook his head yes, "And you must be-"

"Lois, Lois Lane."


	2. A New Beginning

After Clark pulled Lois' car out of the mud, thanks to a helpful distraction by yet another group of farm animals that caught Lois' attention, they set off for school. They sat in the car without talking for the first five minutes of the ride, each one occasionally sneaking a glance at the other. Clark feared for his life as Lois began putting on her makeup in the mirror….while she was driving. His eyes stayed glued to the road ahead of them. If she wasn't going to pay attention, he sure as hell was.

"Hey, Lois."

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think you should keep an eye on the road?"

"Relax Smallville, this isn't my first rodeo." She then got lost in a conversation with herself on the irony of that phrase and her new found dislike for anything to do with life stock. It was at that time that another car pulled out in front of them.

"By the way, my name is not Smallville, its Cla—Lois look out!"

"Oh s***!"She screamed, slamming on the breaks.

The other car swerved to the side of the road and stopped as Lois and Clark barely missed it by inches, stopping just a few feet ahead. Clark turned to look at the silve Porche and quickly looked back at Lois.

"Lois, foot on the pedal and go."

"What are you talking about? I have to see if that other car is okay."

"No Lois just go, they are fine, trust me."

"Whoa, slow your role Smallville. I'm the driver, I decide when and where we go."

Clark stared at her. She looked into is his green eyes and realized something was wrong. She saw pain in them and had the sudden urge to take him in her arms and make the pain go away. A car door shut and Clark rolled his eyes, facing back to the front of the car.

"Well, hello Clark. I can't say this is a surprise. What are you following her now?" A bald man calmly said as he traced his finger along the side of Lois' convertible.

"Lex, believe it or not but the world doesn't revolve around you…or Lana for that matter."

"What's the matter Clark? I thought a couple of old friends could put the past behind each other? I see that I'm wrong with this little encounter."

Clark chuckled, "Lex I gave you a second chance and you ripped everything away from me. Consider what little bit of friendship we still had, over."

"You're so quick to blame me for Lana, Clark. You were the one who couldn't trust her. You only have yourself to blame. Besides, looks like you found a replacement fairly quickly. Excuse me miss" Lex turned towards Lois. "I don't believe we've met." He eyed her up and down.

Clark's face began to fill with rage. He had the sudden will to protect Lois and he didn't know why. He balled his fist and was ready to pounce when all of the sudden Lois' hand reached out and grabbed his. A quick burst of peace came over him. He was puzzled by her action but became relaxed as he looked back at Lex.

"You must be Mr. Luthor. I'm Lois Lane and I'm the best thing that's ever happened to Smallville." She boasted. She then leaned over and planted the most passionate kiss on Clark Kent's lips. They both felt it. The electricity between them was powerful enough to run the Kent farm during a power outage. Neither wanted to pull away, but quickly did when they heard another car door shut.

"That's enough Lex, let's go." Lana called out. "I'm sorry Clark."

"Clark I hope these little meetings don't keep happening. I'm bound to do something about it and you won't like it." Lex snarled.

"Lex if you left today, I wouldn't shed a tear," Clark said with a small smirk. "Isn't this area a little out of your way anyways? What have you been doing, looking for more alien relics and rocks?" Lex's face turned to a stone cold stare.

"One more word and I swear I'll-"

"Do absolutely nothing because I'll kick your ass!" Lois interrupted before peeling out and leaving Lex standing on the side of the road.

Clark couldn't believe what had just happened. He couldn't believe what Lois had done. He had only known two people to ever stand up to Lex Luthor: His father Jonathan and himself. Now Lois Lane joined that exclusive group. Who was this woman? He thought to himself.

"So…uh…thanks for that back there….I guess." He said while touching his lips. It was the best kiss he had ever had and he was still in a small state of shock.

Lois laughed, "Don't get your hopes up farm boy; it's not like you have an actual shot with me." She punched his shoulder before turning her head away from him as a smile grew on her face. She didn't want to admit it but that was the best kiss she had ever had. "I was just trying to help you out with whatever the hell that was all about."

"So Chloe mentioned that you had some kind of emergency? I'm guessing you didn't have hot water or something." He joked.

"Actually I just enrolled at Smallville High. Turns out colleges need full credits rather than half or no credits. I have a few credits hours to make up and the General decided life on the military base wasn't cutting it out. So he shipped me to my cuz's house and now here I am driving you through cow capital of the world."

Her last statement brought Clark back down to earth as he quickly became annoyed again.

"Oh, well would you look at that. We're here! Thanks Lois, see ya later." He hurried out of the car headed for the school's front doors.

"Hey! Wait a second! You're supposed to show me around!"

"I'll pass you off to Chloe and then my job is done."

"That sounds like a much better idea!" She yelled as she ran after him.

They entered the school together and walked down the hallway. People began stopping and staring at them. They were half way down the hallway before they each realized that their arms were interlocked.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Lois exclaimed as she shoved and punched his arm.

Pretending his arm was hurt, Clark groaned, "Me? I was the one walking ahead of you. If anything you are the one who did this."

Lois reared back to punch him again before she was interrupted by an overly excited blond.

"Hey cuz! What's going on here?"

"Nothing!" They both quickly said with looks of embarrassment.

Chloe eyed them both, "Ooookay…well Lois come with me. I have tons to show you! See ya later Clark!"

Clark stood there confused, watching the two girls skip away.

"Today's going to suck," He shook his head and started off for class.

The final bell of the day rang indicating school was over. Lois made her way to the Torch and found Chloe rifling through papers. She looked past her at the wall covered in pictures of people.

"What's with the wall Chloe?"

"Oh! I call it the wall of weird! It's a collection of all the weird events and people that have occurred since the meteor shower."

"Chlo, I don't think you need a wall for that. Just do a 360 and look around."

"Okay, you mock now but spend enough time in this town and you'll understand. Anyways, I can't hang out now, I have a serious deadline and I'm already behind."

"That's okay, I'll just head back home. There doesn't seem to be anything else better to do around here."

"Wait just a sec, this is your first official day and someone needs to show you the ropes. I'll text Clark and see what his plans are for the afternoon."

"No Chloe, I don't think he'd be interested. Plus shouldn't he be at basketball practice or something?"

Chloe burst out laughing while leaning on the desk and holding her stomach.

"Clark Kent? Playing basketball? Oh my god, Lois, that's about the funniest thing I've ever heard."

"Huh? But I just saw him-"

"You've obviously never seen him play. He's lucky to hit the backboard let alone stay on his feet without tripping. Just don't joke about that around him, he'll get really upset."

"I don't understand, this morning he-"

"Lois, enough with the jokes, Clark just texted me back and said he's at the Talon. You can meet him there."

Lois left for the Talon confused. 'I had just seen him this morning make every single shot he took. Not only that but he dunked the ball too. Why is he hiding this from everyone?' She thought to herself. As she headed down the street almost arriving at the Talon, she once again got lost in her own thoughts and stopped paying attention to what was in front of her.

Clark was looking out the window of the Talon as he watched a little boy cross the street. He was playing with a yoyo when the string broke and the yoyo rolled back behind him in the other lane. As he went back to get it, he didn't see the car heading straight for him. Clark took off.

Lois looked up at the last minute and slammed on the breaks and closed her eyes. She heard a swoosh and then felt a quick gust of wind. She opened her eyes and saw nothing in front of her. She looked to the sidewalk and saw the little boy that, a second ago, was right in front of her. She then saw a larger figure pat the boy on the back and then walk towards her. It was Clark.

"Hey are you crazy! You almost hit him!"

"Save it Smallville, I was in complete control. Where's this Talon place at? I'm starving."

He glared at her, "Over here."

They took their seats at the table and ordered their food. They spent another uncomfortable moment in silence before Lois broke it.

"I know your secret Smallville."

Clark froze.


	3. The Caves

"Lois…uuuhhh what are you talking about?" Clark asked nervously. He had just used his super speed to save the little boy Lois almost hit. He began dreading her response.

"Um I don't know, something that it seems you've been hiding from everyone including you best friend, my cousin, Chloe."

"And what is it I've been hiding?"

"A round ball, a hoop, and you; ring any bells? I saw you playing this morning when I walked up. I figured you must play for school or something. But when I brought it up, Chloe laughed at the thought of you playing. She acted as if you would be the last person who could ever play basketball for Smallville high."

At first Clark was speechless, it wasn't the secret he was expecting but he still didn't know how to respond.

"I..I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw you make every shot you took, you are really good. But you choose to hide it for some reason don't you? Why?"

Clark hesitated as his brain was in overdrive, "Listen, okay, my parents prefer that I don't play. Plus I'm more needed at the farm anyways. And I have a bigger purpose in life than to play some silly game." He said with little confidence.

Lois saw right through it. "Oh come on, that's the dumbest excuse I've ever heard. A bigger purpose in life? What's that have to do with you right now in this moment? You're only 18, you have plenty of time to fulfill this 'bigger purpose' you're talking about. If you ask me, you're just scared."

"I am not scar…wait a minute! I never did ask you did I? And I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"Suite yourself then. Keep putting on this front and hiding yourself from everyone and see how it works out."

"I'm perfectly comfortable with how things are, thank you very much. And while we're at it, as much as you talk, maybe you should try out for the cheerleading squad. I'm sure they could use someone just like you."

Lois raised an eyebrow, "You just want to see me in a cheerleading outfit don't you?"

"What? No! That wasn't the point at all." Clark let out in frustration. Although he found himself imagining her wearing one now, and a half smirk formed on his face.

"Okay okay calm down. I'm getting bored now. What's next on this adventurous evening you have planned?"

"I don't have anything planned. I didn't even know I was going to be showing you around until an hour ago."

"Well think of something Smallville. Where's the most interesting place around here?"

Clark thought for a second, "the Kawatche caves."

"The what?"

"No it's perfect, come on lets go!" He grabbed her hand and led her out the door.

Clark didn't exactly know what came over him. He had never taken anyone to the caves with him. Not Chloe or Lana or even his parents. It was one of the only places where he felt like himself and liked that he had to place to himself, for the most part. The cave told the story of his ancestors and his destiny. He was about to share a piece of himself hardly anyone knew about, and with almost a complete stranger. But for some reason it felt right to him.

As they walked through the cave, Lois examined the walls and the images on them. She was mesmerized but the beauty of the paintings.

"These are amazing." She whispered.

"Those were my exact words the first time I came here."

Clark told her the story of the hero Naman and his enemy Sageeth. He told her about the Kawatche tribe and their story of meeting this distant traveler. He also told her about how he discovered the caves while dirt biking with his friend Pete Ross. Then he told her about Lex and his obsession with the caves. He explained how Lex's obsession and the demand for things he couldn't have ruined their friendship. He then opened up about Lana and how he lost her.

Lois sat there hooked on Clark's words. She had had many questions throughout the time Clark spoke. But she held those questions in because she found herself unable to speak. This was the first time anyone had left Lois Lane speechless. She admired how passionate he was while telling the stories. His honesty about his past experiences touched her heart. She began to feel this strong connection to him. It was in that cave that she began to understand him. Clark transformed from a simple farm boy into the most interesting person she had ever met. She found herself wanting to know everything about him. At the same time, she also found herself wanting to share everything about her with him.

"…so that's why I like coming down." Clark finished.

Lois just looked at him still unable to find her voice.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, that was just a lot of information all at once."

"Oh sorry about that." Clark looked down.

"Hey, it was a lot but I loved every moment of it." She looked at him with the most honest face he had ever seen.

"Really? I figured you'd think I was weird or something." He looked away for a second before looking back at her. "You know, you're the only person I've ever brought down here. You're actually the only person besides my parents that I've discussed my break up with Lana."

"I am?" Lois blushed.

"Yeah, I just have this unwavering feeling that I can trust you with anything. It just feels right." He shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away as he became slightly embarrassed about what he just said. He half expected a sarcastic remark in response.

Lois was frozen in place. In the matter of a couple hours this guy had managed to make her feel like the most special girl in the world. Something she never had before. Something she had always wanted. That was another moment she would look back on where she fell hopelessly in love with Clark Kent.

"Smallville?" She reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Yeah."

"Thanks." She said as she hugged him.

"For what?" He let out, still embraced in Lois' hug.

"Don't worry about the reason, just thanks." She rested her head on his chest.

Clark blushed and settled his chin on top of her head. He never wanted to let go of her. He almost decided to test his luck and tell her everything. How he was from another planet. How he had all these different abilities. But he stopped himself, remembering how upset his father would have been and the consequences a decision like that would lead to. However, he realized right then and there that this was the girl he was going tell. This was the girl his mother spoke about. This was another moment he would look back on where he fell hopelessly in love with Lois Lane.

"Hey Lois."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you too."


	4. Coming to Terms

Four months later Clark found himself sandwiched between the two cousins almost everywhere he went. Lois had moved in with the Kents after things began getting too crowded at Chloe and her dad's place. Jonathan and Martha welcomed her with open arms. Lois and Clark never spoke about the night in the cave again and resorted back to their normal banter. Lois had joined Chloe and Clark at the Torch and the three of them investigated and uncovered more and more meteor infected cases. Everywhere they went; Lois and Clark would get an argument about practically anything. Chloe would just sit back and smile. She saw the sparks between the two. She would even catch the way they looked at each other when they thought she wasn't looking.

"Chlo, why do we have to bring the farm boy along? Every time we get close to a big story he just disappears or slows us down and we totally miss it," complained Lois as they took their seats in the Talon.

"Hey I do not!" Clark replied defensively. "You just can't seem to stay away from danger for two seconds and then I have to save you." Clark said without thinking.

"Save me? You, save me?" Lois started laughing. "That'll be the day Smallville. What are your parents putting in that milk you love to drink every morning?" She squinted her eyes. "Which reminds me, stop drinking straight from the bottle. It's rude and disgusting. You end up spilling it all over that hideous flannel shirt of yours and then I'm the one who ends up washing it off."

Chloe sat back and absorbed all of this new information that Clark and Lois didn't realize they were sharing with her. This was when she saw the connection between the two of them. It wasn't just a normal bond of friendship like she had with Clark. When they talked to each other, it was like they were the only two in the room. This was love.

"I don't spill it all over my shirt!"

Lois pointed at the wet stain on his chest.

Clark looked down surprised. He never knew he did that.

"Well…okay. But it taste better out of the carton!" He protested. "And besides, I find it strange that you watch me drink every morning."

"I-I-I don't." Lois suddenly became embarrassed. "I've really only noticed it a few times actually. Oh look at the time. I'm going to be late." Lois got up and left.

Clark finally looked at Chloe, "Did she just say she washes my shirt every day?"

Chloe gazed up at him with a huge smile, "She sure did Clark. In fact I'm willing to bet that's not the only she does when it concerns you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you see it? Lois has feeling for you."

Clark coughed up his drink and quickly responded, "Lois Lane does not have feelings for me. She doesn't even like me."

"Clark, the two of you are practically joined at the hip. You spend more together than we do and that's not just because you live under the same roof."

"Well only becau-"

"Stop, she likes you Clark. She just admitted to washing your shirt for you. She could have easily allowed your mom to do it or not even cared about it. The fact that she takes the time each night to find that shirt and wash it herself shows that she cares about you."

"That doesn't mean she has feelings for me. Maybe she just has OCD and can't stand for things to be dirty."

"Have you seen her room, it's a complete wreck. She does your laundry more than she does her own."

Clark couldn't come up with an exclamation. Did Lois have feelings for him? His mind began going over all of his encounters with her, searching for a sign. Then he remembered the night in the cave.

"And Clark, something tells me you feel the same way about her."

"What? No." Clark nervously shook his head. "She's bossy…"

Chloe slightly tilted her head to the side.

"… She's rude, she's stuck up, I can't stand her!"

"The best one's always start that way," came a voice from behind them.

It was Lana.

"Lana? What are you doing here?" Clark asked.

"I just rented out the apartment right above here."

"But I thought you were staying with Lex," Chloe inquired.

"No, that was just one big mistake all together." She glanced at Clark.

"Can we go talk somewhere?" She asked Clark.

"Sure." Clark sounded surprised.

Chloe shook her head. She wondered if this new revelation about Lois would be enough for Clark to overcome his feeling for Lana.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Clark asked as they sat down near the espresso machine.

"I just wanted to explain myself to you, for my actions."

"Lana you don't have to do that."

"Yes I do. See I know we pushed each other away. We couldn't completely trust each other. But I never should have gone to Lex. I can't use my vulnerability as an excuse. I knew it would hurt you and I wasn't clearly thinking."

"Lana I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I'm sorry for what I did. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Listen," he paused "It did hurt when you left me for Lex. I was angry and upset and didn't know what to do with myself. But I forgave you a long time ago."

"You did? Well…this isn't as hard as I thought."

They smiled at each other.

Lana continued, "You know I never stopped loving you. I thought about us every day." She said while placing a hand on his.

At that time, Lois came rushing back in.

"Hey Chloe, I forgot to ask you whe-" She stopped her sentence when she saw Clark and Lana sitting across from each other holding hands. "Well I guess that answers one of my questions." A tear formed in her eye and she ran back out.

"Lois wait," groaned Chloe as she took off after her.

Clark stared out Lana for a minute before images of Lois exploded into his head. He removed Lana's hand from his.

"I did too. But I only thought about us as being friends. If you are wondering if there's more for us in the future, I can't give you a yes."

Lana closed her eyes in sadness. "I know. I'm just trying to hold on to what we had. I know you're in love with someone else."

"You do?"

"I saw the way you and Lois kissed that day in front of Lex. I knew right then that you two had something special. Something I never had with you."

"No, Lois and I aren't..." He started to say. "I don't know what is going on now. Chloe says Lois has feelings for me."

"She does." Lana agreed.

"How did I miss that?"

Lana laughed, "Clark, you're talented at many things but reading women is one thing you don't do well."

"But she drives me crazy! She constantly makes fun of me and always has something smart to say."

"That would be her way of flirting with you."

"But she's not always like that though. Everyone now and then she'll come up with advice that blows my mind and makes me think she knows better than anyone else."

Lana smiled as she watched Clark struggle with his feelings. "I'm not going to tell you what to do Clark but I think you have feelings for her too and it's okay. You have a big heart, maybe bigger than anyone I know. You just need to trust it and yourself."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe it's been staring me in the face all this time and never allowed myself to see it. I think I have feelings for Lois."

"Then you need to go tell her that. Go, what are you waiting for, go!" Lana giggled.

Chloe caught up to Lois just as she had reached her car.

"Lois wait!"

By this time Lois was in full out tears.

"Not the time cuz! I need to go home." She cried.

"Let's just get in the car and talk first."

"Fine."

"Okay Lo, what's going on? I know this is about Clark."

"Clark? No, that's insane."

"I know you like him."

"I don't like him, he's…he's Smallville. He constantly gets on my nerves. We fight more than anybody I know. Did I mention, I can't stand those stupid flannel shirts he always wears or the shirts with that stupid cardinal on them. He's just a farm boy who will never get over his first love."

"Lois stop the charade and admit it. I'm your cousin, I know you better than anybody. Everything you just said you hated about him, you actually like."

It hit Lois like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my god. I love Smallv-, I love Clark Kent." She put her face in her hands. "What am I going to do Chloe?"

"You need to find him and tell him that."

"But he's getting back with Lana. It's too late."

"Listen, Clark is a very confusing guy. I don't know what he's going to do about Lana. But I can promise you that it's not too late, it's never too late Lo."

"I can't believe I'm acting like this. I'm Lois Lane for christ's sake, the daughter of a four star general. I don't do this."

"That's how you know it's real."


	5. Louie

**Just wanted to this time thank everyone for all of the reviews and favorites/follows. This is only the beginning to a long, long ride haha.**

* * *

When Clark got home, he walked into the kitchen to find his mom consoling Lois. She had tears falling from her eyes like a waterfall. Clark mouthed to his mom, 'what's going on?' Martha shook her head and motioned him to leave. As he turned to go, Lois looked up and saw him.

"Oh god!" She moaned and ran upstairs to her room.

Clark faced back towards his mom, "What's her problem?"

"I don't know sweetheart, something has her really upset. I've never seen Lois like this."

"Well what did she say?"

"She never would say. I tried asking her but she said she didn't want to talk about it. But if I had to guess, it has something to do with you based on her reaction to seeing you."

"What? I didn't even do anything."

"Did anything happen today."

"Not really. We were at the Talon and then she suddenly said she was going to be late for something and took off. I haven't seen her since."

"Well Clark, I think you should go talk to her. You're probably the only one she'll open up to."

"What makes you think that? She took off upstairs at the sight of me."

"I don't know honey, I just have a good feeling about it." Martha winked.

Giving up Clark shrugged, "I guess it couldn't hurt."

Clark made his way up the stairs and had a bad feeling this wasn't going to be good. As he got closer to her door, which used to be his, he could faintly hear her still crying. When he finally got there he knocked.

"Lois, it's Clark. Can I come in?"

"No, I'd rather you not."

"What's going on?"

"It's none of your business"

"Lois I just want help. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do."

"I'm sure Smallville. Besides shouldn't you be lip locked with Lana right now."

"What are you talking about?

"Oh please, I came back to the Talon and saw you too getting back together!" She yelled.

"Since when do you care about what me and Lana do!?" Clark yelled back.

"I don't! Since when do you care so much about me!?"

"You know what Lois, I came home to tell you something but forget it! Just lock yourself up in your room the rest of the day! You are so stubborn. One day you are going to have to let somebody in!" He screamed and headed back downstairs.

"Great idea mom, I'll be in the barn!" He hollered as he walked out the front door accidently ripping the screen door off its hinges. He stopped and looked back at his mom. "I'm sorry." He slowly set the door down. "I'll fix it later."

Clark sped off up to the barn loft and plopped himself on the couch. He looked around wondering what had just happened. No one besides Lex had ever made him so furious. Shelby came up and rubbed up against Clark's leg.

"Hey pal. At least I have you."

Shelby moaned.

"I know, who does she think she is? I don't even know why I'm so mad. She just really gets to me," he said as he lay back on the couch, still upset and after a while fell asleep.

Meanwhile Lois continued crying in her bed with her head buried in her pillow. She had never cried this much before. She was a complete wreck. She looked over at the chair beside the bed and saw one of Clark's flannel shirts. She got up, went over and picked the shirt up, opened the window and threw it out where landed just in front of the porch. She threw herself back down on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

As the sun slowly began to set, a light breeze blew across the sky. A cardinal bird hovered before landing on the window sill outside Lois' room. The bird began pecking on the window and chirping at the same time. Lois finally woke up and looked where the sound was coming from.

"What is it with the birds around here?" She sighed as she got up and opened the window.

The bird flew just out of her reach and then soared over towards the barn. Lois watched as it landed on the basketball goal. Suddenly an idea popped into her head. She threw her shoes on and ran downstairs. She passed Martha who was cooking in the kitchen.

"Smells great Mrs. K!" Lois said as she ran past.

"Lois?" Martha called after her but she was already out of the door.

When Lois stepped out onto the porch, the cool breeze reached her skin. She was only wearing a tank top and blue jeans. She crossed her arms and walked off the porch finally spotting Clark's shirt that she had thrown out. She put it on and jogged over towards the barn.

Clark lay motionless on the couch. He was sleeping on his stomach as a little bit of drool fell from his mouth. He woke to the sound of a bird chirping. He looked up and saw the familiar cardinal resting on the end of the telescope.

"Louie, what are you doing here? Isn't it a little late for you to be out?"

The bird chirped again and flew off.

Clark sat up and yawned. Then he heard sounds coming from outside the barn. He got up and walked towards the window. He heard something bouncing as he got closer. When he got to the window and looked out he saw Lois shooting basketball. He smiled as she missed every single shot she took. He watched her for a moment before going outside.

Lois took another shot and watched the ball clank off the backboard and roll towards the driveway before stopping at the foot of guy wearing jeans and a tight white t-shirt.

"You should try out for Smallville high's girls basketball team." Clark joked as he tossed the ball back to Lois.

Lois smirked, "Very funny."

Clark began to say something before Lois interrupted him.

"You know growing up on the military base with dad; I was never able to play organized sports." She said as she missed another shot. "The General always said if I wanted physical activity then I needed to focus on my self-defense classes."

"Well those classes seem to really come in handy," Clark chuckled.

Lois took another shot and missed again. "I thought you told me this was supposed to be relaxing and peaceful. If anything it's made me more upset."

"Well it helps if you are able to make it every once and awhile."

Lois glared at him.

"Here, let me show you." Clark walked over to Lois with the ball and handed it to her before positioning himself behind her. He grabbed her shoulders and squared her up to the goal. He then pressed his chest against her back and reached around placing her left hand behind the ball and her right hand on the side. Lois looked over her shoulder and their eyes met. They both smiled before Clark stepped to her side.

"Okay, now just bend your knees and release the ball. When you release it, flick your left wrist to where it looks like you are reaching into a cookie jar like this." Clark acted his shot out for her to see.

"Whatever you say Smallville."

Lois did as he said and shot the ball. It bounced off the front of the rim, then hit the backboard, then came down and hit the front of the rim again before falling through the hoop. She screamed as the shot went in and jumped into Clark's arms. She caught Clark off guard and they fell to the ground with Lois landing on top of Clark. With their faces only inches apart, their eyes met again. Clark pushed her hair to the side and traced his finger along her cheek.

"Hi." Clark breathed out.

"Hi." Lois replied.

And then it happened. Their lips crashed into each other. They kissed with a fiery passionate as their hands explored the other's body. For a second Clark thought he was floating on air.

He was. They were both so lost in each other that neither realized they floating a few feet off the ground. As their lips slowly pulled apart, they floated back to the ground.

"Wow," Lois exhaled as she caught her breath.

"That's one way to put it," Clark smiled before kissing her again.

They laid there holding each other, never wanting the moment to end. As they did, Louie the cardinal watched from the top of the basketball goal, chirped, and then took flight into the moon lit sky.


	6. General Lane

**Chapter 6 – General Lane**

"Dinner's ready," proclaimed Jonathan from the kitchen window.

Lois and Clark quickly got up and dusted the dirt off of each other. As they walked inside Clark placed his arm around her lower back and Lois leaned her head against Clark arm. Jonathan was too busy admiring his wife as she bent over to retrieve the pot roast from the oven but Martha saw the two draped over each other as they walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. Martha smiled; she knew this had been coming for a long time.

They were half way through dinner when Martha couldn't take it anymore. "So I take it you too made up."

Clark almost choked on the gulp of water he took. Lois dropped her fork on the table before it fell to the floor. They looked at each other, both surprised. They didn't even realize that they had both reached out and grabbed the other's hand.

Jonathan looked up from his meal at the two of them. He looked at his wife, who was smiling, then back at the two kids. He gazed fell upon their hands. _Uh oh, _he thought.

"Kids, is there something you need to tell us? Jonathan calmly asked.

"Mom…dad," Clark started. "Me and Lois-"

"Lois and I," she interrupted.

He shot a quick look at Lois and she winked back at him.

"LOIS and I…well see we were outside…and I was showing her how to shoot…and well we kind of…"

"I'm in love with your son!" Lois blurted out and quickly covered her mouth.

Both Martha and Jonathan were taken aback at first. They weren't quite expecting that much.

"Subtle Lois," Clark let out as he covered his forehead with his hand.

She rolled her eyes, "Well you weren't getting there anytime soon Smallville. I figured they should go ahead and know since we're living in the same house."

Before Clark could say anything, Martha squealed and ran over and hugged the two of them.

"What took you all so long?" She said as she squeezed them.

"Huh?" Clark let out.

"You too have been flirting with each other from the very first moment you met. I half expected to stumble across the two of you in bed together."

"Mom!" Clark called out as he began feeling uncomfortable about where this conversation was going.

"Martha!" Jonathan gasped as he too began feeling uncomfortable about where this was heading.

Lois spoke first, "Well it's not like I was never tempted." She caught the look of horror on Jonathan's face. "But I respected you two way too much to do anything like that. You all are like the parents I never had. I just can't thank you all enough for taking me in and giving me a place to call home."

Jonathan's horrified face turned into a smile. Martha kissed Lois on the cheek. Clark just stared at her. He was so in love with her that he thought his heart was going to explode. He picked her up off her feet and kissed her. He forgot his parents were sitting right there.

Jonathan coughed, "Uh son."

Just then a bright light shined into the house as a jeep pulled up.

Lois looked out the window, "Perfect timing Dad."

They went outside and greeted the General. Lois ran and hugged her dad before turning to see another individual step out of the jeep.

"Oh, hey Wes!" She ran over and jumped into his arms. She then suddenly pushed herself away and looked back at Clark.

Clark looked like a deer in the headlights. However, it had nothing to do with her and Wes. He was staring at the General.

"General Sam Lane," he spoke and extended his hand to Jonathan and Martha. "I just wanted say thank you for taking care of my little Lo here."

"It's an honor to meet you General," Jonathan said as he shook his hand. "Lois has been great around here. You have yourself a fine young lady."

"She's a handful but she's my little angel. Lois, I was hoping that you might come back with me and Wes."

Clark's stare quickly faded as heard the name Wes. He looked over at Lois and saw another man who could could only be a few years older than Lois. He was tall and fairly good looking.

"Um, sure daddy."

"Great, I'm only in Metropolis for a few days and I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Plus Wes is with me and I figured you too should catch up."

"Okay, let me just grab a few things." She hurried off into the house.

"And you must be Clark," the General stepped up.

"Yessir."

"They sure grow them big here on these farms." Sam said as he sized Clark up. "You play football, son?"

"No sir."

"Hmm, someone with your size should be doing a little more than milking cows and feeding the chickens," Sam joked.

Clark nervously chuckled and thought to himself, _oh you have no idea._

Lois opened her window, "Hey Clark, can you help me find my notebook? It's got my latest story in it and I need to finish it before school on Monday."

"Sure, I'll be right up." Clark jogged inside leaving his parents with the general and Wes.

He opened the door to Lois' room and was attacked with a flurry of kisses. Lois pushed him against the wall as their lips played with the others. Their tongues found their way into each other's mouths while Clark began exploring Lois' back and her hands flowed through his hair.

They broke their kiss long enough for Clark to speak.

"Lois, you dad is outside."

"Shut up for just a moment." She breathed and kissed him again.

He was in no position to argue. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity before a knock came on the door. It was Martha.

"Everything okay in there?"

"Yes mom, Lois is just looking for pen now."

Lois giggled, "That's the best you could come up with?"

"You weren't too quick to respond," he shot back as he smiled at her.

"I don't think that Kent smile is ever going to get old to me," she whispered before kissing him again.

"Why do you have to go NOW?" Clark complained. "Just as everything finally began to feel perfect."

"Hey! Look at me. We are perfect, you hear me. Whether we are together or apart, we are perfect. I'll only be gone a couple days. Then you can you have me all to yourself for the rest of your life if you please."

Clark swept her off her feet, "I don't know if I can wait that long Ms. Lane."

"You will if you love me Smallville."

"Well that I do."

They shared one last kiss before heading back outside.

Later that night Clark went up to the loft and looked at the stars through his telescope. He found many of the familiar stars he had seen every night. He still found himself searching for that one special star, his home planet Krypton. He sighed as he suddenly felt all alone again. He still wasn't sure exactly what his destiny was. Jor-El hadn't exactly been clear about that. He knew he was meant for something big but at the same time he just wanted to feel normal. As he began doubting himself again, his phone lit up. It was a text from Lois that simply read '_I miss you already.'_

Just like that, Clark suddenly became reassured of himself. He remembered that he had a purpose. He finally saw that he didn't need to change to feel normal, he was normal with Lois. He began falling asleep when his phone went off again. Lifting the phone to his face, he saw that it was Chloe.

"Chloe! I have something to tell you."

"Clark we have a problem."

"What's wrong, where are you?"

"I'm fine but you might not be."

"What is it?"

"Clark, Lionel Luthor just fell from his office in Metropolis. My friend Jimmy got a hold of some pictures from a street camera."

"Okay."

"Clark, there was only one other person in that area for the next ten minutes. If Lionel toldyou're your secret, then you don't have as much time as you thought."

"Who was it Chloe?" His heart dropped knowing the answer already.

"It was Lex."


	7. Confessions

"I'll be there in a second," Clark spoke into the phone.

"Okay just let me get dressed real qui-" Chloe started to say before a gust of wind flew into her room knocking off the towel she wore, exposing everything.

"Whoa, Chloe…I'm...I'm so sorry." Clark quickly apologized as his face became red. He turned around and closed his eyes.

"It's okay Clark." Chloe got dressed quickly. "Besides, it's always been a fantasy of mine for you to do that. Until recent, it's always gone in a totally different direction if you know what I mean." She winked.

"Okay, that's enough. I've experienced way too much intimacy with you Lane-Sullivan girls for one night."

Chloe's eyes got wide, "Really!? Yes, yes, yes, YES!" She screamed.

"I don't know what you're so excited about. I just saw my best friend naked, you're like the sister I never had."

"I swear, given all your abilities, you are so slow when it comes to stuff like this. I was talking about you and Lois!"

"Oh. Of course, of course, yeah me and Lois."

"So what happened?"

"Look Chloe, we have a problem right now and I'd kind of like to focus on it right now."

"Not until you give me something."

"Fine, we kissed. My parents know. End of story. Besides you're just going to call Lois the first chance you get so I'll let her give you all the details."

"That's all I wanted to know!" She jumped up and hugged him. "I'm so happy for you, for both of you."

"Thanks. We probably couldn't have done it without you."

"Yeah you could have. It just would have taken forever and I couldn't wait that long." She hugged him again.

"Okay, so what can you tell me about Lionel and Lex?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any more information. I'm heading to Metropolis in the morning to meet up with Jimmy. He said he should be able to get some more info through his internship at the Daily Planet."

"Lois is on her way to Metropolis."

"What but I thought you all just-"

"Her dad showed up. He's around for a few days and wanted to spend some time with her so she went back with him for the weekend. Oh and there was this other guy with him, Wes I think his name was."

Chloe's smile turned to a frown. "Wes? Um Clark there's something you should know. Lois wouldn't want me to tell you everything but this much I can. Wes is the only other guy she's ever been with. Take what you had with Lana and add a couple of years. Then add in the fact that he joined the military as soon as she told him she loved him. It devastated her. She turned rebellious. She started getting into trouble and quit caring about school which is why she had to make up those credits. She's had trust issues ever since. I was the only one she could truly trust."

Clark was shocked. He had no idea. Just when he thought he knew her completely, he had been hit with this bomb shell. She was someone that seemed so strong. Nothing could penetrate her skin. She was intimidating, sexy, smart, and the most caring person he had ever met. He had no idea she could be so vulnerable.

"I had no idea," Clark sighed still trying to process everything. "I've never known her to be so vulnerable."

A smile formed on Chloe's face, "That's because her vulnerability disappeared the day she met you Clark. The night before she picked you up, she cried herself to sleep because she had just gotten an email from Wes telling her not to contact him anymore. Her heart was completely shattered. That morning she almost didn't get out of bed. I practically drug her out. She complained the whole time about having to go to this 'stupid farm school' and that she knew she was going to hate everything about it."

Clark sat there in disbelief.

Chloe continued, "I finally convinced her to go pick you up as a favor to me. I left that morning hoping she would be okay. When I saw her at school she was definitely emotional."

Clark remembered Lois punching him.

"But when we walked away from you, she smiled and said 'maybe this place won't be so bad after all.'

Clark smiled. He suddenly didn't care about Lionel or Lex, he just wanted to hear more about Lois.

"Then when she got home that night after you all hung out, she couldn't shut up. She talked about some of her classes but the conversation would always steer back to you. She must have asked me a hundred questions about you. I saw something in her eyes that night that I hadn't seen in a long time. Hope. You gave her hope in everything that she had lost. You are her beacon, her guiding light. I think you saved her Clark. And guess what, you didn't super speed, you didn't lift something heavy, you didn't jump over a building, you didn't set anything on fire, and you didn't use your super breath. Instead you used the strongest ability you have, your heart."

Clark couldn't speak; he didn't know what to say. He didn't even realize he had that power. Then he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I'm going to tell Lois who I really am. I don't know when or how but she's the one. I want her to be the first person that I actually tell. But first," he paused, "I need to deal with Lex or I might never get the chance. I'm going to go talk to Jor-El."

"Be careful Clark, you know how unpredictable he is."

Clark stood to leave, "You be careful too Chloe, I don't know what Lex has planned and for all I know you could be in his cross hairs too."

"Thanks but I have faith it'll all work out. I do have YOU on my side."

Meanwhile Lois sat in the front seat of the jeep next to her father. He asked her the usual questions about school and if she was behaving herself. He asked her how the Kents were treating her and how she liked living with them. They made their way back to the military base fairly quickly. Wes helped Lois get set up in her room before stopping her and pulling her close to him.

"God I missed you," he breathed as he kissed her cheek and then her neck.

Lois closed her eyes and all the memories came flooding back. Wes made his way to her lips. Lois wanted to give in, she almost couldn't stop it. Wes took her shirt off and it fell to the floor. Lois immediately felt uncomfortable and unsafe. She looked down and saw it. It was Clark's flannel shirt. She pushed Wes away.

"What's the matter baby? I thought you've been waiting for this since I left two years ago. All those emails indicated this and much more. Don't tell me you changed your mind because of what I said."

Lois bent down, picking the shirt back up and quickly put it back on. "It has nothing to do with that."

"Oh come on, of course it does. I didn't really mean it, I was oversees fighting. I wasn't in the right state of mind."

"Wes, it's really not about you."

Wes laughed, "You really are stubborn. I had you on a leash Lois. You did anything I asked. I had your heart right in the palm of my hand and now you're saying this has nothing to with me? Do you think I'm really that naïve?"

Lois pulled Clark's shirt tighter around her, "I was young and stupid. I thought my crush on you was love but it never was. I know that now. I was never in love with you, Wes. I've finally found what that really is and it's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. He is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. "

Wes didn't believe her.

"And who exactly is this guy? Some high school kid?" He started laughing again. "Here I am, a MAN, serving directly under your father. And you are going to tell me you have chosen some high school kid? Who is he, Lois?"

Lois moved her hands up to the collar of Clark's shirt.

Wes' face became filled with disgust. "Don't tell me it's the farm boy. Come on Lois, I knew as soon as I saw that kid that he was worthless. He's not a man and never will be."

Lois suddenly became furious. "That's it, I'm sick of this! You talk about being a man. What kind of man runs away from a girl that just confessed her love for him? What kind of man decides joining the military out of fear of a girl? You are not a man Wes, you are a coward! You will NEVER be the man that Clark Kent already is!"

Wes grabbed Lois and picked her up by her shoulders. "Do you see these stars and stripes that I wear? They are what make me a man. I'm risking my life for this country while that kid plays in the hay. If he were such a man then he would enlist. But I looked into his face and could tell he would never be military material!"

Lois spit in his face, "Clark has a much bigger purpose in life than to run around with my dad playing militia. You haven't done anything! My father has given you everything while making sure you were never in any actual danger. Get over yourself! I don't love you and never will. I love Clark and there's nothing you can do about!"

Lois proceeded to kick Wes in the groin and ran out of the room. She found her way to a bench outside and let it all out. The tears came again for a third time that day. She finally let out all the pain that Wes had caused her. Her fear of going back to that person she used to be scared her more than anything. She was just about to lose faith in herself when her phone lit up. It was a message from Clark that simply read, '_I miss you too Lois Lane, can't wait to have you back in my arms." _Lois smiled, suddenly feeling better. It was like she found a whole new strength inside herself and knew it came from Clark.


	8. The Stones

**Chapter 8**

The next morning Clark decided to go with Chloe to help investigate Lionel's death. They met up with Chloe's friend Jimmy at a small café. Jimmy brought a series of photo's with him as well as a police report. Clark and Chloe looked them over finding no other proof of Lex's involvement.

"Jimmy what happened to the photo of Lex Luthor." Chloe questioned with a puzzled look.

"That's just it, it disappeared. It was there last night but gone this morning," Jimmy said in disbelief.

Clark shook his head, he knew what happened. Lex made it disappear.

"I don't understand. How could that happen?" Chloe asked

"I really don't know Chloe," Jimmy answered.

Clark stared past the two of them, "It was Lex. Trust me." He stood up, "I've got to get going, Chloe?"

"I'm okay Clark, I'm going stay here for the day and do some more digging if Jimmy doesn't mind."

"Of course not, I'd be delighted!" Jimmy smiled.

* * *

Clark took off and went straight to the caves. He was greeted by the voice of Jor-El.

"My son, you have returned."

"I need your help! It's Lex. He's becoming a danger and I don't know how to stop him."

"You needn't worry about Lex, Kal-El, your mission is to find the last two stones before it falls into the wrong hands. If you fail, everything you have worked for up to this point will have been for nothing."

"I just can't ignore this! He's getting closer to my secret! If he finds out, I don't know what he'll do!"

"Find the stones first Kal-El, do not disappoint me."

Clark left the caves and headed for Lex's mansion before he was stopped by the sight of the Talon. He remembered Lana had just said she moved there. He decided if he could find out any information from her and show up at her apartment, knocking on the door. Lana opened it.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you here. Is everything okay?"

"I need to talk to you about Lex."

"Oh. Okay come in, please."

They walked over sat on the couch.

"When you lived with Lex, did you notice anything unusual? Like did he have any unordinary objects around his office?"

"You know Lex. Of course he did. What exactly is it you are talking about?"

"Did you ever see Lex with any kind of stone? Or maybe over hear a conversation about one?"

"No I don't think so. Wait, maybe. One night I found him holding up a metallic looking object that looked broken. I saw him place it inside a book and then place it on his book shelf. Do you think that's it?"

Clark smiled, "You're a lifesaver! Thanks." He got up to leave.

"Where do you think you're going? You can't just go over there. Lex or his men will spot you in a heartbeat. I'll go."

"No Lana, I don't want you getting in the middle of this."

"I'm not letting you go over there okay? I'm the only one who can do it. I still know all of his passwords and it won't look weird if I show up because I still have a few things I need to pick up from there anyways. So it's settled."

Clark didn't like the sound of this but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Ok, but be careful please."

"I will." She paused, "Do you mind telling me what's so important about this stone?"

"I-I can't. You just have to trust me that Lex shouldn't have it. Can you do that?"

Lana looked at him long and hard before deciding that she should trust him. She shook her head yes and hugged him.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"I have one more thing I need to take care."

* * *

Back in Metropolis, Chloe and Jimmy went back to the basement Daily Planet. They searched the entire database looking for something, anything. They hit dead end after dead end. Chloe hacked into the Metropolis P.D.'s database and found that everything on Lionel's death had been removed. Deciding that they had used up all of their resources, Chloe and Jimmy left to grab a bite to eat. It was getting dark as they walked down the side walk. They passed a movie theater and Jimmy got an idea.

"Hey, would you like to see a movie?"

Chloe stepped back, "Wh-what are you asking me on a date Mr. Olsen?"

Jimmy blushed, "Maybe, would that be a bad thing?"

"Absolutely not." Chloe smiled.

"Great! I'll be right back, I'm going to go inside and check the movie times. We can go after dinner."

"That sounds great; I have to make a phone call real fast while you do that."

Jimmy ran inside as Chloe turned and walked to the side of the building while she dialed Clark's number. Before she could finish pressing the last number, she heard the voice that always made the hairs on her back stand up.

"You've been awful busy today Ms. Sullivan. A little too busy if you ask me."

Before Chloe could turn, a blow came to the back of her head knocking her unconscious. A black car pulled up beside her as the man picked her up and stashed her in the trunk. The car pulled off in the distance as the license plate read 'LL.'

"Dad, it's time for me to go back home. You know I love all of this family time but I need to get back for school reasons." Lois said with a stern face.

"But Lois, you were supposed to spend today with Wes. You all haven't seen each other in such a long time."

"I know daddy, maybe another time. Do think you could take me back today."

"I have a better idea, why don't I have Wes give you a lift back here in a little bit. That'll give you two plenty of time to talk."

Lois tried to argue but soon realized she wasn't going to win. When the General gave an order, you followed. She could have easily told her father what happened with Wes the night before. She could have ruined him if she wanted to. But that wasn't who Lois was anymore. Her time spent with Clark changed her. She wanted to be better. She wanted to be able to give people a second chance, to be able to see the good in people. So she kept it to herself.

"Ok, fine. Wes can drive me back," she conceded.

"That's my girl, you all can leave tonight."

Clark raced across the country from Metropolis to Star City to New York to Gotham to Chicago, all in search of the other stone. He looked everywhere he could possibly think of. He even went back to the cave to look for any clues but found nothing indicating where the other stone could possibly be. He went home hoping his only other option would help him. When he got home he saw a message from Lois on his phone saying she would home soon. His heart became warm at the thought of holding her again. Finally some goods had come of this day. He picked up the phone and dialed the number for Dr. Virgil Swann, his last hope. A recording played saying the numbered had been disconnected. Then Clark heard the TV. There was a news report announcing the death of Dr. Swann. Clark dropped the phone. He was stunned. His last hope was gone.

"There you are son," Jonathan said as he walked into the room. "I'm sorry Clark, I know he was a friend."

"Yeah, he was. I just don't understand. I saw him not long ago and he was perfectly fine."

"Sometimes things happen and we don't have an explanation for it. That's just how life is sometimes. But Clark, the man didn't leave you with nothing. This came in the mail today."

Jonathan was holding a package marked from Dr. Swann. Clark took it in his hands. He x-rayed the package and saw it. He ripped it open revealing a stone.

"Even when he's dead, he still finds a way to help me on my journey."

Clark took the stone up to the loft and placed it by the first stone he found a little over a year ago. He began to feel that everything was going to be okay. Once Lana got back with the other stone, he would be able to unite them. Then he could focus on Lex and everyone would be safe. Then suddenly he realized he hadn't from Chloe in a long time. He pulled his phone out dialed her number. It rang and rang until a deeper voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Chloe?"

"Clark, it's Jimmy. Chloe's missing."


	9. Lex

**Chapter 9 - Lex**

Lana made her way into the mansion pretending to pick up the rest of her stuff. She walked into Lex's giant office and observed the fireplace which had been lit. She looked around finding the camera that Lex had recently installed. She waited for the camera to turn away from her before she sprinted to the book shelf. She fumbled through each shelf until she found the book she was looking for. Just as she retrieved the stone and placed it in her pocket, one of the security guards walked in.

"Excuse me Miss Lang but what exactly of yours can be found on Mr. Luthor's bookshelf?"

"Lex had suggested I read Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' and I figured now was as good a time as any."

The guard didn't buy it. "I think Mr. Luthor would like to see you first." He grabbed Lana and escorted her out of the room.

Chloe woke up in a dark room tied to a chair with a single light hanging above her head. As her vision began to become clearer she saw a dark figure standing before her.

"Good evening Chloe."

"I guess I should have seen this coming. Clark did warn me. How are you doing Lex?"

"I'm doing great actually. I just have a few questions for you."

"Shouldn't you be grieving your father's death?"

"Oh please! He turned my life upside down. I have nothing to grieve about. However, I would like to know why you've been snooping around his case? What is it you're after Chloe?"

"I just found it odd, that a picture of you seen near Luthor Corp around the time of your father's death had disappeared into thin air."

"Are you trying to imply something Ms. Sullivan?"

"What exactly were you doing there Lex?"

"Are you trying to say I had something to do with his death? Because I can assure you I was just as shocked as everyone else. I have an alibi and multiple people to attest that I had a meeting with a potential investor."

"And who was this potential investor, if I might ask?"

"Not that it concerns you but her name is Miranda Tate, now are you satisfied?"

Chloe didn't say anything.

"Now that brings me to you, what were you and Clark doing last night? How do you know so much about Lionel's death?"

Chloe just sat there.

"Why do I get the feeling you know more about Clark than I do. I know he's hiding something; I've been trying to figure it out for years. I'm willing to bet you know what it is."

Chloe remained silent.

"Silence is only going to make this worse. Tell me what I want to know and you won't suffer." Lex said as he pulled out a gun. "I'll give you three seconds to start talking or I pull the trigger." He snickered as he placed the gun to her knee cap. "I'll take out all of your limbs, one by one, until I get what I want. Do you understand?"

A tear streaked down Chloe's face but she remained quiet.

"1…2…"

Chloe closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that was to come.

"Thr-"

"Mr. Luthor, I have something for you."

Lex stopped, turned around and saw the guard dragging Lana behind him.

"Lana, what are you doing here?"

"I found her snooping through your office Mr. Luthor."

Lana looked up and processed the scene before her. "Chloe? What's going on Lex? What are you doing with a gun?"

"Well I didn't plan on taking it this far but you picked a bad night to stop by Lana. Put her beside Ms. Sullivan." Lex ordered and pointed the gun at Lana.

"Lex, stop! Please! It's me you want, let her go!" Chloe cried out.

Just then an explosion rocked the mansion. Lex, Lana, Chloe, and the security guard all fell to floor. There was a crash through the windows as four men landed and rolled onto the floor. They stood up, guns loaded, dressed in all black. Lex's guard raised his gun but was quickly taken out by a single bullet. Lex tried to get up but was swiftly kicked in the gut and bashed over the head with a gun, knocking him out. Two of the men grabbed him and picked him up. One of the guards noticed Chloe and Lana lying on the ground.

"What should we do with them?" One of them asked.

"We should get rid of them, here I'll do it." The other man raised his gun towards Chloe.

Chloe saw a large figure appear behind the man. He towered over the other men and crossed his giant arms. He wore a big coat which she only remembered seeing in her history book, worn by military men in the colder parts of Eastern Europe. He was standing in the shadows where his face remained hidden.

"That is not our mission brother. We have what we came for. It is time to leave now," the raspy, distorted voice called out.

A sudden flash and cloud of smoke appeared. When the smoke finally cleared, the men were gone including Lex. Lana got up and went over to check on Chloe.

"What the hell was that Chloe?"

"I honestly don't know but we need to get out of here. Can you please untie me?"

"Sure but I think we might have a problem," Lana voiced her concern.

They both smelled something burning. Suddenly flames burst through ceiling all around them.

"Chloe, we're trapped. We need to do something!" Lana screamed.

"Do you have your cell phone?"

"Yeah but we need to do something now. We don't have time for the fire department! We need to get out now."

"Not the fire department. Clark. Call Clark."

"What? How's he going to be able to help us?"

"Trust me Lana, just do it." Chloe coughed as the smoke became thicker.

* * *

Clark pulled the phone away from his ear making sure he dialed the right number. Sure enough he did.

"Hello…Clark…are you there."

"Jimmy?"

"Yeah it's me."

"What do you mean Chloe is missing?"

"I don't know. I found her phone outside on the ground. I went inside the movie theater to check the showings and came back out and she was gone. What could have happened to her CK?"

"I'm not sure Jimmy, I'll check on it. Have you called the police?"

"Yeah they are on the way."

"Ok sit tight, I'll call if I find anything."

Clark hung up and sat there for a second. His mind immediately thought of Lex but he couldn't force himself to believe it. Lex used to be his friend, there's no way he would actually go as far as to hurt Chloe. He decided he should check the mansion anyways but as he got up his phone rang.

"Hey Smallville, I'll be home in about half an hour. I can't wait to see you."

"Lois…okay good. I can't wait to see you either."

"I have something special for you, so you better be there waiting for me when I get back."

"Lois I might be a little late," he said as he thought about telling Lois about Chloe. "I have something to t-"

"Be there Smallville or I'll kick your ass." She joked.

"Okay I will."

Clark hung the phone up again. He stood there trying to decide what to do. On one hand Chloe could be missing. Or she could have just dropped her phone and was chasing a lead on Lionel. And then he had Lois coming home within the hour. As he contemplated on what to do, his phone rang for a third time.

"Lana, did everything go okay?"

"Clark! Clark!"

"Lana, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm at the mansion with Chloe! The mansion is on fire and we're trapped. Chloe said to call you. She said you would know what to do! We need help now Clark!"

Clark was in the process of dropping the phone and out the door before Lana could finish her sentence. Dirt kicked up in the air as he sped down the driveway towards the burning mansion. A plane quietly flew over the farm carrying six men, one of which was a bloodied and blind folded Lex Luthor.


	10. The Fire Rises

Clark was running faster than he had ever run before. He knew the way to Lex's mansion like the back of his hand. He had been there so many times in the past, as a friend. He still couldn't believe Lex's dark side had actually taken over completely. He partially blamed himself for giving up on Lex and he felt responsible for Chloe and Lana being trapped in the fire. He pushed himself harder than ever to get there in time.

"Chloe, what is Clark going to do? I'm so scared. We have no way out."

"Lana, I need you calm down for just a second. I want you to brace yourself for what's about to happen."

"What are you talking about?"

Just then Clark burst through the flames and stopped in front of them. His shirt was on fire as he stood before them looking like a god. Lana's eyes widened in shock. She started to open her mouth but Clark suddenly swept her up in one arm and Chloe in the other and sped out of the burning mansion. Once outside, he set them both down and went back inside checking for anyone else but the house was empty. He came back out, faced the mansion and used his super breath to extinguish the fire. He then turned and faced a shocked Lana. She began shaking and tried to speak but could only stutter. Clark stepped in front of her.

"Lana, are you okay? Look at me. You're safe. You and Chloe are both safe now."

Lana finally got a word out, "th-thanks." She turned to Chloe who only smiled at her.

"So remember how I couldn't really open up to you? Well this is why." Clark tried to joke to lighten the mood.

"Nice Clark." Chloe rolled her eyes and grabbed Lana's hand, "Hey, are you okay? I know you're in shock right now but I need you to shake your head yes or no.

Lana just stared back but eventually shook her head yes.

Clark touched her shoulder, "Were you able to find the stone?"

Lana shook her head yes and pulled it out of her pocket, handing it to Clark.

"Thank god, Lana!" He stepped towards her to give her hug.

"Clark wait! Your shirt is still on fire!" Chloe exclaimed.

Clark looked down. Sure enough it was.

"Oh, well you know I can't really feel that." He took the shirt off and put the flame out. He looked back at Lana.

"I can't thank you enough. You were really brave in there. But I should have been there sooner. If I had, I could have stopped Lex from almost killing the two of you."

"Yeah about that Clark, it wasn't Lex. I'm not actually sure who they were exactly but I've never seen anything like it before."

"What are you talking about? If it wasn't Lex than who? Did he hire someone or something?"

This time Lana replied. "I seriously doubt it. They came for him, not us. They must have set a bomb off or something, that's where the fire must have come from. They crashed through the windows and they took him Clark."

"I don't understand. Who would be after Lex?"

Chloe answered, "I don't know but they were professionals. I'm not talking about professional hit men either. They talked about a mission and we weren't a part of it. They had a leader who was bigger than anyone I've ever seen."

"Did you see his face?"

"No he stayed in the shadows but sure scared the hell out of me. I've only seen something like this organization once in a news story from Gotham city about a year ago. I don't remember it all that well but they almost destroyed the city. It's not much to go on but it's the only connection I can think of as to what just happened."

Clark looked at his watch. Lois would be home any minute.

"Okay, we'll talk later." Looking at Lana, "All three of us."

Lana nodded.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before but I'm glad you at least know now. I have to get back home. Chloe, I trust you can take care of her and fill her in about me. She might as well go ahead and know everything."

Chloe nodded and Clark sped back home.

* * *

Lois didn't say a word the whole way back to the Kent farm. Wes tried several times to strike up a conversation but each attempt failed. As they made their way down the long driveway to the farm, Wes apologized to Lois for his actions from the other night. Lois stared straight ahead without any acknowledgement. They stopped in front of the barn and Lois got out without saying anything.

"You could at least say thanks!" Wes yelled.

Lois stopped and closed her eyes. "Thank you Wes, but now I just want to find my boyfriend."

_Boyfriend? _She thought to herself. It was the first time she referred to him as that. She chuckled to herself. _Clark Kent is my boyfriend. _She was still trying to get use to the idea that they were finally together.

"Really? Well I don't see him anywhere," Wes pointed out.

Lois turned and saw Clark's phone on the ground.

"Well that's weird. Maybe he's in the loft."

She jogged into the barn as Wes followed her.

"I hope he is Lois, we haven't been properly introduced yet and I'd love to tell him all about us."

Lois turned back on him, "You know what? I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. I thought that maybe you deserved a second chance but I was so wrong!"

"Lois I'm done playing games with you. I'm about to make you forget all about your farm boy." He declared as he stepped towards her.

"Everything okay in here," a voiced boomed into barn.

"Clark!" Lois screamed as she ran past Wes and jumped into Clark's arms.

"Are you alright?" He asked her as he glanced at Wes.

Lois shook her head yes, "I am now," and then kissed him. They hugged before Clark set her back down turning his attention to Wes.

Wes stepped forward. "So you are the famous farm boy that has caught my little Lois' eye. Hi I'm Wes-?

"Keenan." Clark finished his sentence for him.

Wes smiled, "I didn't realized Lois told you about me. I have a few stories about us if you're interested."

"Lois never mentioned you and I'm not interested. But I do think it's time for you to leave."

"And who exactly is going to make me?" Wes said as he looked around and then started towards them.

Clark stepped in front of Lois. "Wes, you don't want to do this. Think about what you are about to do. There's no need for you to get hurt."

Lois shook her head in disbelief. _Clark had no idea what he was getting himself into with Wes. He had the training capable of killing a man with his bare hands if he had to._

"Oh, I'm not the one who's going to get hurt. You might be big but you haven't seen anyone like me." Wes laughed as he kept walking towards them.

"Clark be careful, he could kill you." Lois said with a concerned voice.

Clark cocked his head back towards her, "Don't worry Lois."

That was the first time she saw that look in his eyes. A look that said everything is going to be alright. There was no fear at all, just reassurance. She had an overwhelming feeling that Clark could conquer the world if he wanted to. That feeling quickly went away when she saw Wes pick up a piece of wood and swing at Clark.

"Clark look!" She screamed.

Clark turned his head back to Wes just as the wood broke in half across his chest. Wes stopped, confused. _A blow like that should have taken him down easily but it doesn't even look like it hurt, _Wes thought to himself. He then reared back and threw a punch. Everything slowed down for Clark as he saw the punch coming from a few feet away. He moved his head to the side and caught Wes' fist in his hand. Wes threw another punch with his other hand but that was also stopped by Clark. Wes was stunned. He quickly spun, attempting a roundhouse kick but Clark swatted his leg away sending Wes crashing to the ground.

"I think that'll do," Clark calmly said as he picked Wes up and carried him to his jeep. Wes was still in shock as Clark set him in the seat and buckled him up.

"Have a safe trip back." Clark said patting the hood as walked over to Lois who was standing with her mouth open.

_How could he have possibly done that? He was Smallville. He was sweet and kind and wouldn't hurt a fly. How did he just easily subdue someone as highly trained as Wes was? How did that board not hurt him? _ Her thoughts faded as she realized just how turned on she was by what had just happened. She stood there in awe of her boyfriend as Clark got closer. Clark saw the look on her face.

"What?" He asked with a smirk.

Lois stared at him for a second before a smile spread on her face. "Seriously, what are your parents putting in that milk?"

Clark wrapped his arm around her as then went inside.

"Where's your shirt at, by the way?"

* * *

Meanwhile 40,000 feet in the air, Lex Luthor sat in a seat, blind folded. When he regained consciousness, he jerked around trying to figure out where he was. He heard the loud sound of the engine but nothing else. He continued to jerk while trying to free himself until two large hands grabbed his shoulders, holding him still.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. We have much to discuss."

"What's going on? Where am I?"

"Of course, where are my manners?" The man said as he removed Lex's blindfold.

Lex was blinded by the light at first until his eyes were finally able to adjust. He looked in front of him and saw a very large figure of man in the shadows.

"Who are you?" Lex demanded.

"It doesn't matter who we are." The man said between breaths while stepping into the light. "What matters is our plan."

Lex stared into the eyes of his captor. He had no clue who this guy was or what he wanted. His eyes searched the man's body for a clue as to who he was. This man was bigger than Lex knew was humanly possible. He saw no signs of any organizations he knew of. Finally when his eyes made their way back up to the man's face, he noticed it was covered by something. He couldn't exactly make out what it was but it sounded like some kind of breathing mechanism.

"What, do you know…about Wayne Enterprises, Mr. Luthor?"


	11. Under Pressure

**Chapter 11 – Under Pressure**

A month had passed since that eventful night. Lois and Clark were happier than ever before. Neither could believe they were with the other. They greeted each other with a smile and kiss every morning when they woke and every night before going to bed. Clark still slept on the couch in the living room. Jonathan had been very strict about that and Clark somehow controlled his urge to join Lois up in her room. Lois, however, was a different story. Each night at some point, she found herself sneaking downstairs, joining Clark on the couch. Every night she would fall asleep, lying on his chest. Clark had gotten in the habit of waiting up until she came down before he could go to sleep. They were able to keep it a secret for a few weeks before Martha woke up one night and found them. She didn't say a word, only smiled and went back upstairs. Lucky for both of them, Jonathan never knew.

Graduation had come and gone as everybody began planning for the next phase of their lives. Chloe earned an internship with the Daily Planet and had moved to Metropolis just a couple of weeks after. Lois and Clark had both been accepted to Metropolis University, where they would join Chloe in the fall. Clark, Chloe, and Lana made it a weekly point to all get together and talk. Clark didn't want Lana to have the carry the burden of his secret by herself and made sure she had people to talk to; people she could turn to when things got tough. He didn't want to lose her like he did Pete. So when they got together they would talk about how their lives were going and answered any questions that Lana had.

"So what's it like when you run? How can you see everything when you're going so fast?" asked Lana.

Clark laughed, "Well, it's really not like how you see things when you're going fast in a car. I can slow things down and see them as if I were simply walking."

"Whoa, I still can't exactly wrap my head around this whole thing. But I have to admit it's so cool that there's somebody like you."

Chloe interrupted, "The fact that Clark, minus his abilities, isn't much different than you and me is what amazes me more than anything. He's from another planet but at the same time might be more human than anybody I've ever met."

"It's true, I credit that to my parents," catching Lana's raised eyebrows, "my Earth parents." He clarified.

"So does Lois know?" questioned Lana.

Chloe looked at Clark eagerly waiting his response.

"No she doesn't. And I'm starting to doubt whether I should ever tell her. My secret has already almost got you two killed. I don't think I could ever handle anything happening to Lois because of me."

Lana frowned, "I think that is completely selfish of you Clark. Did you not learn anything from what happened with us? Trust me, not knowing everything about your partner will eat at you until you can no longer take it. You either need to tell her soon or let her go forever."

"I can't let her go, I could never do that. She's my destiny, I'm certain of it."

"Well that leaves just one option. You have to tell her everything. And the sooner the better, like before the fall when we all start college." Chloe forcefully interjected.

Clark rubbed his face, "I know, I know. But what if she rejects me? I can't lose her. We have a connection that is stronger than anything I've experienced."

"That's the risk you have to take when it comes to love. If the risk is worth it, then you have to go for it," Lana advised.

Clark nodded his head in agreement. "You all win. When the time is right, I'll tell her."

Chloe and Lana looked at each other with huge smiles.

"Has anyone ever told you all about your power of persuasion? It's really not fair." Clark joked.

During their weekly meetings they also spent time trying to figure out what had happened to Lex and Lionel. Lionel's investigation had ended as they deemed it a suicide. There were still no reports on Lex's whereabouts. The information on the case was very limited. Most of the files were classified and taken over by the FBI. The police would only say that it was an open investigation. Rumors made their way across the national news broadcasts that Lex had died in the mansion fire. Since the death of Lionel Luthor and the disappearance of his son left Luthor Corp without a leader, the board awarded the company to Oliver Queen who had just purchased controlling interests.

The three of them believed that there had to be some sort of connection between Lionel's death and Lex's kidnapping but there was no evidence to support it. Jimmy had used every resource he had to try and uncover anything he could but the fact was, he was a simple photographer. Chloe had the hunch that someone very powerful had orchestrated the whole thing. She had her suspicions that it may have been Oliver Queen since he now found himself in charge almost out of the blue. She still had no idea why Lex was kidnapped and not simply killed.

Although Clark had gotten use to not having to worry about Lex as much, he still found himself thinking about his old friend. Chloe was able to use her job at the Daily Planet to research the events that happened in Gotham the year before. She would bring articles to their get togethers and share them with Clark and Lana.

"It says here that half of the city of Gotham was poisoned with some type of psychological toxin through the water supply." Chloe read.

"What happened? How did they stop it?" Lana asked.

"It doesn't really say but there was a train crash in the heart of the city and that's when toxins were stopped before spreading through the rest of Gotham."

Clark sat there reading through article after article. His mind was racing. He had seen a few news reports about an attempted attack on Gotham but heard that the attempt was foiled by an unknown vigilante. It comforted Clark that there were others out there protecting the world. He had already met a few other extraordinary people who had abilities similar to him. There was Bart who could run faster than Clark could ever dream of; then there was AC who was basically a fish that could swim faster than Clark. And finally Victor Stone who he had met not long ago who was half man, half machine. He knew one day he would meet Gotham's protector but he had other objectives he needed to focus on.

"Clark what do you think?" Chloe asked.

Clark snapped out of his deep thought, "Well, I think there might be a connection but I don't even know where to begin."

"Maybe you can start here," Chloe said as she pulled another article out of her bag. "They call him the Batman. Apparently he dresses like a bat or something but he's basically cut the crime rate in half all by himself, and the rate is still falling. The police hate him because he makes them look bad. They have a warrant out for his arrest but it seems like the city could care less about that. The major crime organizations have all moved out of the area. The people seem to really love this guy because he's given the city a second chance."

"Wow Chloe, why don't you just crown him king already?"

"Is that a hint of jealousy Mr. Kent?" Chloe asked as she and Lana exchanged smiles.

"No it's not that, it's just…there has to be some kind of motive for why he's doing this. What is he getting out of this?"

"Maybe it's just the satisfaction that his city is safe. Or maybe he just knows it's the right thing to do, you know, kind of like you. Who knows, maybe one day you'll be dressed similar standing side by side protecting the world." Chloe answered.

Clark busted out laughing, "Yeah right Chloe, you wouldn't catch me dead wearing a ridiculous outfit like that. The guy wears a cape, I mean come on."

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Well it wouldn't hurt to start coming up with some type of disguise once you move to Metropolis. It's not Smallville, your chances of being seen go up by like 90%."

"Don't worry I'll think of something. But please promise me that if I ever resort to dressing in tights and wearing a cape, that you'll just go ahead and shoot me."

"Not that it'll do anything but okay." Chloe laughed.

"So this is where you think I should start? Do you really think it's a good idea I go off to Gotham right now while I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the stones? I was planning on uniting them soon."

"You said that last week."

Lana interrupted, "Wait a second, it says right here that he killed someone, the city's district attorney, Harvey Dent. That doesn't sound like a hero to me. It says it just happened last week. "

"I knew one of you would see that. While that's what the media would want you to believe, my sources in Gotham say it's completely false. Apparently the good ole D.A. was injured in an attack on his life and half of his face was burned off. He went crazy and went on a killing spree. They found him lying on the ground where it appears he fell from a reasonable height. The police commissioner says it was the Batman who did it but the media is spinning the story and the public has no idea what is true. The police have issued a city wide manhunt for the Batman, no surprise there." Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

Clark grabbed the paper from Lana and skimmed through it. "It says here that a criminal named the Joker, who had been terrorizing the city, had been found by police hanging upside down off the side of a building. It looks like it was this Batman who took care of him. "

"So a visit to the city doesn't seem so bad after all does it?" Chloe asked.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to visit Gotham, see what I can find out. I can take Lois with me and the two of you should come too. Chloe you could maybe write a story or something for the Planet. Lana, you just need to get out of Smallville for a change."

"Hey, I get out every now and then!" Lana protested but also laughed.

"That sounds like a great idea Clark, how about this weekend?" Chloe responded.

"Sure, I'll just need to talk to Lois. There's no telling what she already has planned in her mind."

* * *

Back at the farm, Lois sat at the table staring out the window. She was happy. She felt safe. She was looking forward to her future while appreciating her present. She watched as the familiar cardinal landed on the porch swing and quietly chirped. Lois didn't want to admit it but the bird was growing her. It reminded her of Clark and that made her smile. She watched the bird take off and fly into the loft. Lois got up to see where the bird went. She made her way up to the loft and looked around but couldn't find the bird.

"Louie? Are you in here? Smallville told me that was your name; I hope that it's okay that I call you that too. I just want to talk that's all." Lois looked over and saw the bird standing on Clark's desk. "And what might you be doing? Does Smallville always let you do that?" Lois sat down on the couch facing the bird. "This is weird; even I have to admit it. I'm sitting here about to seek advice from a bird. But anyways, Louie, I need someone to talk to. You see I love Clark. He's everything I could ask for and more. But sometimes I feel that he's holding something back, like there's something about him that he isn't telling me. I still can't shake the night Wes attacked him. I never asked him how he did it, how he took out a green beret in training, and he never said anything about it. He only wanted to know if I was okay and if I needed to talk about Wes. I look at him sometimes and feel like he's destined for something far greater than me. I don't know why I feel that way, there's just something about him, something in his eyes. I hope one day he'll be able to tell me what that destiny is and I just hope he doesn't leave me behind."

The bird chirped away and then took flight again, knocking off a book that was lying on the desk. When the book hit the ground, a metallic octagonal shaped disc fell out and bounced before stopping at Lois' feet. She picked the disc up and examined it. She rotated it around in her hands noticing multiple symbols inscribed in the object. She didn't recognize the symbols but they reminded her of the paintings in the cave.

When Clark got home, he went into the kitchen where he found his mom slaving over the stove.

"Mom, that smells amazing. Do you want some help?"

"Oh thanks honey but I think I can manage. Plus your father is supposed to be helping me anyways. I can use him not being here as leverage later." Martha smirked at Clark.

"I'll never understand the thought process of a woman. Do all of you plan this kind of stuff out?"

"You know I can't tell you that, it's a secret." Martha winked.

"I just hope Lois never picks up on it."

Martha laughed, "Good luck with that one honey."

"Speaking of Lois, have you seen her?"

"I saw her walking towards the barn not long ago."

"Ok thanks. And I'll to give Dad a heads up on your plan." He joked.

When Clark walked up to the loft, he looked around and didn't see Lois. Shelby was curled up on the couch, sound asleep. He started to go back down when he saw it. He froze, unable to move. He stared at the open book lying on the ground. The specially carved out slot was empty. His heart dropped.

"Oh no, Lois!"


	12. You Don't Know Who I Am

Clark sped out of the barn. His heart was beating faster than he could ever remember. He arrived at the caves in a matter of seconds and searched but there was no sign of Lois. He went to the hidden altar but she was nowhere to be found. He thought that maybe he had beaten her there. He started to super speed out of the cave when he heard it. There was a soft moan and a heartbeat coming from under a pile of rocks in the corner of the cave. He knew that heartbeat better than his own, it was Lois.

"C-C-Clark." Lois moaned.

* * *

Just a half hour before, Lois was slowly walking through the cave studying each image on the wall. She held the disc up to each painting hoping to find something. She wanted to know so badly what Clark's connection was to the caves. She knew there was something because she had felt it the night Clark had brought her there. She finally came across the altar. It was shaped just like the disc and had the same symbols. She noticed a slot that looked like a perfect fit for the disc.

"There's no going back now Lois," she told herself before placing the disc in the slot. A bright light came out of the altar as a voice boomed throughout the cave.

"Lois Lane, it is not yet time to use the key. Not until Kal-El has completed his mission."

Lois was startled by the voice and quickly pulled the disc out as the light grew brighter. She was suddenly thrown across the cave, hitting the wall as a pile of rocks fell on her. She was knocked unconscious for a short time. When she regained her senses, she could barely see anything. There was a tiny hole in the pile of rocks and she was just able to peak through it. She tried to call for help but nothing came out and she was unable to move due to the weight of the rocks. She thought she was going to die right then and there. All she could think about was Clark and how devastated he would be. She felt a cold liquid moving its way down her face. She felt light headed and thought she was about to take her last breath when suddenly a blur streaked across in front the hole in the rocks. She closed her eyes and opened them again. It was Clark. She thought she was hallucinating but suddenly Clark disappeared and then showed up again on the other end of the cave and then appeared again in the center. Everything about Clark suddenly made since. She found the connection. She watched as he sped around the cave, calling her name. She tried again to say something but the weight on her chest was too great. She saw that he was about to leave and used all the strength she had left to call out his name. The last thing she remembered was seeing Clark's face in front of the hole.

* * *

"Lois! I'm here! Don't worry, I'm here!" Clark ripped the rocks off of her and scooped her up in his arms. Her head was bleeding and she wasn't responding. Clark pushed the hair out of her face and tried waking her. She wasn't breathing. He listened for her heartbeat but it wasn't there. Tears streamed down his face as he screamed. He held her close to him praying that she would wake.

"Lois! Lois, wake up! Come on, please wake up! I can't lose you!" he cried.

At that moment, he resented who he really was more than ever before. His secret put people in danger whether he told them the truth or not. He wanted more than anything to be a normal human and not to have come from another planet. He wished that Lois would have let him go of him a long time ago, at least that way she would be safe.

His hands were shaking as he pressed on her chest a few times and then put his lips to hers breathing air into her. He repeated this a few more times. A few tears dripped onto Lois' lips. Then suddenly, Clark heard two quick beats, followed by two more quick beats. He listened as the beats became a steady repetition. More tears fell from his eyes as he pulled her face to his and kissed her, breathing the life back into her.

Lois woke gasping for air. She jerked and rested her head up against Clark's chest. She looked up and her eyes met Clark's. She smiled.

"Lois, thank god! I thought I lost you."

She coughed a little bit before speaking, "It's going to take more than a few rocks to get rid me Smallville."

He immediately x-rayed her body looking for any life threatening injuries, only to find a couple broken ribs. She had a few bruises and a cut on her forehead, but other than that she seemed to be fine.

"I need to get you to a hospital; it looks like you broke a rib and you probably have a concussion."

"How can you tell?" Lois asked.

"We-well based on the weight on the rocks, it's just logical to assume so."

Lois eyed him. "Of course, and how the hell did you get those rocks off of me anyway? I mean you are big but come one."

"Um…it must have been adrenaline," he said nervously.

Lois gave up on the questions momentarily. She knew what she saw while she was under the pile. She had found the connection. Her boyfriend was special, like Naman. At first she was upset with him for not telling her. Then she got upset with herself for never noticing anything. All of that went way when she looked back into his eyes. Her heart broke as she tried to imagine how hard things must have been for him growing up, living with this secret.

"Okay." She smiled again, "But no hospital for this army brat, at least not tonight. If I'm still hurting tomorrow then you have my permission."

Clark debated on what to do in his head before deciding that her injuries were no longer life threatening.

"Okay, whatever you want. I'll take you home now."

"I love you," she sighed before falling asleep in his arms.

* * *

When he got home with Lois, his parents were waiting up. He told them what had happened. Martha started crying as she came over and hugged them both. Jonathan put his hands on his wife and son's shoulders before bending down and kissing a sleeping Lois on the forehead. Clark carried Lois up to her room and laid her in her bed. He wetted a rag and cleaned the cut on her forehead. He washed the dirt off of her face and slowly pulled the covers over her. He stood there for a moment and watched her sleep. The reality of what had just happened hit him as he began to cry again. He wiped away the tears from his face and opened the door to leave.

"Clark?"

"Yes Lois?"

"Stay with me tonight. Please."

There was no way Clark could say no to her now, not ever again. He closed the door, walked over and kissed her on the forehead and climbed into the bed beside her. She curled herself in the crook of his arm and rested her head on his chest.

"Smallville? Can you tell me the story of the hero Naman again?"

Clark wrapped his arms around her and retold the story. She was fast asleep before he was even close to finishing but he continued the story anyway. When he finished the story, he gazed down on the angel lying in his arms. He decided right then and there that nothing like this would ever happen again. He would do everything in his power to protect her. He decided that tomorrow would be the day. Tomorrow would be the day he would reveal himself to her. He stayed up the whole night watching over her until the first few rays of the sun peaked through into the bedroom. He finally closed his eyes while the weight of the world fell from his shoulders as he held her.

Several hours later Clark woke to an empty bed. He looked at the clock and realized it was the middle of the afternoon. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up. A small metallic object slid down his chest and onto his stomach. It was the key. He picked it up and stared at it not realizing that Lois had placed it there when she got up. He smiled remembering that today was the day he was going to tell her everything. He went downstairs and found Lois cooking breakfast.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing Smallville?"

"You should be in bed. As a matter of fact, you should be in the hospital. How are you even doing that?"

"I'm fine, a little sore, but I'm fine. I'm a Lane, we're a tough bunch."

"What you call tough, I call stubborn." Clark said in a serious tone before he relaxed his expression, "Well at least sit down and let me do that for you."

"Not a chance, but I do appreciate it." She smiled, "You can help me though."

Clark walked over beside her as she handed him two eggs. He cracked the eggs into the skillet and placed his hand on her lower back. She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. He rubbed her back and reached over with his other hand, pulling her chin towards his face.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm more than okay," she said as she moved her lips to his.

He knew she was lying but decided he wasn't going to push her. He kissed her softly; afraid any sudden movement would break her in half. She noticed this and kissed him harder as she ran her fingers through his hair. He loved when she did that. He almost lost himself in her kiss before finally being able to pull away from her grip.

"Lois, I would just feel more comfortable if you saw a doctor," he said placing a hand near her broken rib.

Lois sighed, "You might be the only man on this planet strong enough to pull away from my go to move. But that's why I love you, Mr. Kent. I will gladly let you take me to hospital now. My side hurts like a son-of-a-*****."

"Lois!" Clark said in a stunned tone.

"Relax; I can handle a little pain, especially for you. I just wanted this morning with you, here, in this house. Besides, one kiss from you does more for me than any doctor could ever dream of."

Clark's heart melted. He leaned his head down and kissed her again.

"See, I'm already feeling better." She smiled, kissing him again. "But seriously, hospital now; I need some feel good drugs pronto."

Clark shook his head and gathered their things. _She's definitely back, _he quietly thought to himself.


	13. Everything

An older grey haired man walked down a long hallway that led to room that mirrored a prison cell. Lying at the floor of the cell was Lex Luthor. The grey haired man took a seat on a stool as Lex slowly sat up. The moon light shining through the window only slightly lite the room up as the grey haired man moved closer.

"It is time we finally met, Mr. Luthor. My apologies for your treatment here, my larger friend can be a little extreme even for my tastes. But none the less, I'm sure you are wondering who we are. You see I have a very particular set of skills. I, along with the many others of similar interests, have existed for many, many years. We are the balance in this ever changing world. We are small but effective. We've taken out civilizations and we've destroyed cities before the greedy and the rich could fully prosper. We've changed the course of history and will continue to do so for many years to come."

"What does this have to do with me?" Lex questioned.

"Excellent question," the man paused, "You see, a few years ago we set out on another mission. Our target was Gotham City, I'm sure you're aware what I'm alluding to."

Lex nodded his head, "The attack that was stopped by the one they call the Batman."

"You are half correct. You see he didn't stop it. He more or less delayed it. What he doesn't know is that it is inevitable. My league never fails a mission. Whether believed dead or not, we lurk in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. I will admit that Batman wasn't something I foresaw in our first attempt. But rest assure, we've carefully taken him into account this time. And that is where you come in Mr. Luthor."

"What do you want? If it's money, name your price."

"It's not about the money, although you will contribute a substantial amount for our cause. And don't worry, you will be greatly rewarded. But your mission is to gain access to Wayne Enterprises."

"Wayne Enterprises, again? You're masked man said something about that before beating the pulp out of me. What does Wayne Enterprises have to do with Batman?"

"In due time Mr. Luthor, in due time. But for now you must rest and regain your strength before you are ready to return to Metropolis."

"Right of course, I really appreciate it." Lex replied sarcastically. "And what exactly am I supposed to call you? Do you have a name?

"I have many names Mr. Luthor. But you may refer to me as Mr. Ducard if you like."

* * *

Clark sat in the waiting room as he listened in on Lois cuss out the doctor for his inappropriate behavior, after asking her out on a date. Unfortunately for Clark he didn't need to use his super hearing, the whole floor could hear Lois. Clark decided it was time to step in and remove Lois before she tore up the doctor's Ph. D degree in his face.

"So what did the doctor say?" Clark asked while trying to keep a straight face.

Lois punched him in the arm. "Don't get me started up again Clark. I'm in no mood right now. I'm still a little creeped out about it." She shook her body in disgust.

"That may have been the case but I think sharing that he reminded you of your dad with the whole third floor, was a bit much."

Lois rolled her eyes, "I was simply telling the truth."

Clark chuckled as they pulled up to the house, "If you say so Lois."

When they walked in they were greeted with confetti and cake by Jonathan, Martha, Chloe and Lana.

"Welcome home!" They all shouted in unison.

They all exchanged hugs and sat down for dinner. Lois told the story of how she was exploring the caves and the rocks fell on her. She left out the part about the altar and seeing who Clark really was. Then Clark made her tell everyone what had happened with the doctor. The rest of the dinner they spent talking about their futures. Chloe was already envisioning her, Lois, and Clark all three working side by side at the Daily Planet. Lana planned on getting a degree in business at Central Kansas and possibly opening up a chain of cafés. Lois said she liked Chloe's plan but disagreed about the side by side part, claiming that there was no way Chloe and Clark would be able to keep up with her. When it was Clark's turn, he hesitated for a second. Everyone in the room sat there, on the edge of their seats waiting to hear his response. He took a deep breath and answered.

"I don't know."

They all looked at him stunned. That was the last they expected him to say. But the truth was, Clark really didn't know. He wanted to believe that he would be able to go to college and live a normal life with Lois and Chloe. He wanted to believe that he would be able to join them at the Daily Planet. But he still had to unite the crystals and he had no clue what they would do. The fact was he was a little bit scared. He knew what ever was going to happen when those crystals were united was going to change things. The only question was if the changes were going to be for the better or for the worse.

Martha saw his struggle in her sons face. "Don't worry Clark. You'll figure it out once you get to Met U. Most people don't know what they're going to do until about half way through college anyways."

Jonathan quickly changed the subject to the recent changes in the ownership of Luthor Corp. Chloe and Lois doubled teamed him on with their thoughts on the subject were, as Lana sat there trying to catch up on what was happening. Clark snuck away from the table and caught Martha's attention. When she joined him, he pulled her into the other room.

"Mom, I'm going to tell Lois my secret, tonight."

Martha almost squealed as she jumped into Clark's arms, hugging him. "I am so happy that you've finally found someone that you can share your life with Clark. I know how long you have been waiting for this and Lois is the girl. I knew it the first time I saw you two together."

"Martha Kent, I don't know how you do it. You are the best mom any boy could ever ask for."

"Sweetheart, before you found us, I never thought I would ever hear those words. You are the greatest thing to happen to your father and me."

Clark hugged her again, "Okay so give me about five minutes and then send Lois out to the loft." He stopped for a second, "And do me a favor, give me enough time to tell her before you drop the news on Dad."

"Believe me honey, there are certain things your father is better off not knowing about. Like say your sleeping arrangement on the couch with Lois every night for the past month."

"You know about that?"

"I'm your mother, I know everything." She winked and then kissed him on the cheek.

* * *

Clark sped around the barn cleaning and setting up for the night. He set the table up with a candle on it. He pushed the chairs in and lit the candle with a quick and precise blast of heat vision. He grasped the octagonal disc in his hand and smiled before putting it in his pocket. He then put the burned CD in the CD player and pressed play. He sat down on the couch as he practiced his speech. His hands were trembling as he knew Lois would walk up at any second. He stood up and began pacing back and forth. Five minutes had passed and he started to worry. He started to head for the house when he heard the familiar sound of a bouncing basketball. He looked out the window.

"Hey Smallville, how about a game of one on one?"

"Lois can you come up here? I have something I want to tell you."

"Whatever it is you want to tell me, you can tell me down here."

Clark knew he wasn't going to win this argument so joined her by the basketball hoop.

"First to ten wins, loser has to do whatever the winner wants."

"Lois, you have two broken ribs. This is the last thing you should be doing. Plus I need to talk to you."

"With the amount of drugs I'm on, I can't feel a thing. Talk while we play Smallville. I'll shoot for the ball." Lois bounced the ball and shot in perfect form just like Clark had taught her. The ball swished through the net. Clark shook his head trying to believe what he had just seen. Little did he know, but Lois had secretly spent the past month practicing, hoping to surprise him.

"My ball, check it up," she said with a determined face.

Clark stared at her, "Who are you and what have you done with my Lois."

She tossed the ball at him drilling him the groin. Immediately Clark was brought back to the very first time he met her.

"I said check it up Smallville."

Clark slowly got to his feet, bending over and grabbing his knees. He finally caught his breath and rolled the ball to Lois.

"Here, geez Lois."

Lois took the ball and shot, swishing it.

"1-0, at least try to give me a little competition."

Clark shook his head and took the ball and started dribbling. "Look, I know you probably have a lot of questions about yesterday and last night." He took a shot and made it.

Lois got the ball and drove around him, laying it up.

"And I know you probably are wondering about the night Wes showed up. I know I should have explained all of this before now."

They traded baskets and the game remained tied at 5 apiece.

"You're probably wondering how I'm able to disappear all of the sudden."

The score was now 8-8.

"And I know you have questions about what happened last night, with the disc and how you got out of the pile of rocks."

Lois remained quiet, letting Clark speak.

"You see, there are things about me that I haven't shared with you. I have this really big secret that I can't tell anybody because I don't know how they will react. I don't know how the world would react to somebody like me."

Lois's heart began to beat faster. She knew this was it. Clark was about to let her all the way in. She already knew what he was going to say but she wanted him to believe that he was telling her his secret because he wanted to.

"Tie ball game Smallville, next basket wins. Don't blow it."

Clark had the ball with the chance to win. He stopped dribbling and picked up the ball. "Lois I'm trying to tell you something. Look, there are special abilities that I have. I can do things other people can't." Clark then tried to think of his next words but his mind went blank. He had no clue what to say next. He thought back to the speech he had prepared but couldn't remember this part, the most important part.

"What exactly are you trying to tell me Clark Kent?" Lois said as she got down in a defensive stance.

Suddenly Clark found himself back on the day where he was only 10 years old with the chance for the game winning basket against his dad. That's when he realized how he was going to tell Lois who he was. He bent down with the ball held in front of him. With one swift move, he faked a step towards Lois causing her to take a couple of steps back. Before Lois' eyes, 18 year old Clark Kent took a dribble and a step, rose up and soared over his girlfriend as he dunked the ball on the 10 foot goal. He landed and slowly started to turn around.

"Lois, I'm from another planet-"

He was interrupted by Lois' lips as they pressed into his. She pushed him up against the side of the barn and kissed him with more passion than ever before while running her hands through his hair. Clark didn't even know what had hit him; he just simply kissed back matching her passionate kiss. Lois finally pulled away and looked up at him with the biggest smile he had ever seen.

"What took you so long?" She asked with the same sexy smirk she always used on him.

"You knew?" He said, shocked.

Lois kept smiling and nodded her head yes.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It was your secret to tell, I figured you would tell me when you were ready."

"And you're okay with this, with me?"

"Clark, not only am I okay with it but I've fallen deeper in love with you than I thought humanly possible."

They kissed again and headed up towards the loft, holding hands. Lois told him about how she discovered his abilities the night before and her incident with the altar. Clark then shared with her all of his different abilities. When they got up to the loft, Lois covered her mouth when she saw what Clark had set up.

"Oh my god, this is so beautiful. I can't believe you did all of this for me."

"This was my original plan Lois."

"Oh, I love this song," she sighed, pointing at the CD player. It was a song from the band Lifehouse called '_Everything.'_

"Lois we need to talk about where I came from."

"That's enough for now, just dance with me."

Clark stepped up to Lois and placed his hands on her hips and lower back. Lois wrapped her arms around his neck. They began to sway back and forth as Lois placed her feet on top of Clark's so that she was almost eye level with him. They stared into each other's eyes as they moved in unison, as one being. Lois rested her head on Clark's chest as he settled his chin on top of her head. Clark closed his eyes, he was completely at peace. Nothing else mattered in that moment but Lois. As they continued to dance, Lois couldn't stop smiling as her eyes slowly closed. She was in heaven and for a second Lois felt like they were even floating on air.

They were.

Lois opened her eyes and realized that they were floating almost 8 feet off the floor.

"Um…Clark you never mentioned anything about this. I had no idea you could defy gravity."

Clark opened his eyes and looked around before looking back at Lois who was staring back at him in amazement, "Neither did I."


	14. Learning to Fly

"What do you mean you didn't know you could fly?" Lois folded her arms. "I would think I would notice something like that."

"Lois, I've never done that before, I swear. I mean, I've felt like I may have before but I don't think I actually ever did."

"So that was your first time?"

"Yeah."

"How come you could suddenly fly out of nowhere?"

"I think…I think it was because of you."

"Me? You can't be serious."

"Lois, when I'm with you I don't have to think about things. I just simply feel. You allow me to be who I truly am. I think that telling you my secret lifted the only barrier that kept me grounded."

A tear fell down Lois' face. "That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard Smallville. Although I guess I should probably stop calling you Smallville now."

"No. Don't ever stop calling me that. I hated it at first but now it's part of me, part of us."

"I love you, Clark Kent."

Clark raised his eyebrows at her.

"Smallville, I love you Smallville."

They kissed again before Lois pulled away, "So am I the first to know? I mean besides your parents? I suddenly understand why they were so protective now."

"Actually…um…" Clark was scared to death. He hadn't thought this far ahead and now realized that he was about to make Lois very angry. "…um you aren't the first to know."

"What? How? Who else in this world would you trust your secret with? Wait a second, don't tell me Lana knows. You said that you all couldn't be honest with each other. I swear if you told her and then made up some b.s. about your relationship with her, I'm leaving right now."

"No, no, no Lois. Well, Lana does know."

Lois reared back to punch him.

"But I didn't tell her. She kind of saw me when I saved her and Chloe from Lex's mansion."

"So that was you? I knew it, somehow I knew it was you." And then it hit her, "But that means you saved Chloe too. Which means…Chloe knows too. What the hell Smallville! Was I the only one who didn't know?"

"It was never meant to be like that. And I didn't tell Chloe either. She witnessed me catch a flying car one time without me knowing and called me out on it later." Clark explained.

"I just thought I was the first to know. I guess I wasn't as special as I thought." She began to walk away.

Clark stopped her, "Lois, it's because you ARE special, that you were the last one to know. I care about you more than anything else. I wanted you to be the first person that I actually told who I really was. I had searched all of my life for someone to share my secret with. Someone I could take that leap with. And there's no one I'd rather take that leap with, than you Lois. I think I knew you were the one, the very first time I looked into those beautiful hazel eyes."

Lois couldn't fight back the tears anymore and she grabbed Clark and threw herself into is chest. "I'm such an idiot. I didn't even think about your feelings. This is exactly why you waited to tell me."

"You are not an idiot Lois. You are the smartest, sexiest, and most breath taking woman I've ever and will ever have met."

"Just when I begin to lose my way, you bring me right back. I love you more than you could ever know. One day, you're going to change the world Clark, I just hope that I'm standing there by your side when it happens."

"You are the second person to tell me that I'm going to change the world. My dad was the other. Do you all know something that I don't?"

"Maybe we do, maybe we don't. You are the only one who can decide. I just want you to know that no matter what, I'll be there every step of the way. You don't have to do this alone anymore because we're in this together Smallville."

He picked her up and carried her to the couch. Their clothes quickly began coming off. Clark kissed along her neck and down her chest before reaching her stomach. She moaned slightly as she caressed his head. As they were about to make love for the very first time, they were abruptly interrupted as Shelby came running up the steps carrying a Frisbee and dropping it on the floor in front of them. Lois started sneezing as Shelby came up and gave her a big wet kiss on the cheek.

"I think that's Shelby's way of congratulating us." Clark laughed.

"Us? I'm the only one he licked!" Lois sneezed again. "He certainly knows how to ruin a moment doesn't he?

Clark only smiled at her.

"I swear if I didn't love you Smallville, I would never have put up with this dog." She reached over and grabbed the Frisbee while still looking at Clark. She pulled it towards her but it didn't budge. She looked back and saw that it was actually in Shelby's mouth. She pulled again a little harder but it still didn't move. "What the hell?" She got up, now only wearing her jeans and a bra, and pulled with all of her might. Shelby stood his ground, without the slightest movement or indication that Lois was having any effect on him.

Clark sat there laughing to himself. She was sexy standing there playing tug-a-war with Shelby. It didn't hurt what was she was wearing – or wasn't wearing.

Lois re-gripped the Frisbee and dug her heels into the ground and pulled as hard as she could but Shelby still hadn't moved an inch.

"I think…there's something…wrong with…Shelby," she grunted as she continued to pull.

"Oh yeah, there's something you should know about Shelby, Lois."

"What? That he has super strength or something!?"

"Well actually, yeah."

Lois let go of the Frisbee and spun around facing Clark. "You've got to be f*%king kidding me."

* * *

Back in the house, Chloe and Lana were both peeking out the window trying to see into the barn.

"Damn, I wish I had x-ray vision," Lana giggled.

"Well I wish I had super hearing." Chloe chimed in.

Meanwhile, Martha was in the kitchen trying to calm down Jonathan. He wasn't so much upset at Clark for telling Lois but was more upset that Clark hadn't come to him first. Martha tried to explain why Clark chose not to but Jonathan was still fuming. He eventually cooled off and joined the girls in the living room as they all waited for Lois and Clark to return. Clark was the first one to walk through the door. He watched as Chloe and Lana came running towards him. He opened his arms but instead, they shoved him to the side and grabbed Lois.

Clark rolled his eyes, "It's not like I'm the one who just revealed his biggest secret or anything."

His parents came over and hugged him. Clark met his father's gaze and started to apologize before Jonathan stopped him.

"It's okay, Clark. I understand. But we ARE going to talk later."

They sat in the living room as Lois started telling them what happened. Chloe and Lana both squealed at every emotional part of the story. Their eyes started tearing up when Lois started telling them about the moment Clark revealed himself. Jonathan and Martha smiled at each other as both knew the exact the feeling Lois had had when they found out about Clark's powers.

All three women, excluding Lois, were in tears by the time Lois got the dancing part. Even Jonathan had a few tears, but he quickly wiped them away before anyone noticed. When Lois got to the part about them floating, she stopped and looked at Clark.

"Can I tell them?"

"You were the first one to find out Lois, even before me. This is all you." He said, smiling at her.

"Tell us what?" Martha asked leaning forward and while resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She seemed to be more into the story than Chloe and Lana.

"Well, we were holding each other as we danced. It felt so perfect. I closed my eyes and when I opened, we were sorta kind of floating."

Their jaws dropped.

"You guys, Clark can fly."

All four people who sat in front of them were speechless. Jonathan finally stood up.

"What do you mean, he can fly?"

"It's true Dad, I can. I don't know how but I can."

"Oh my god," Chloe exhaled.

Lana couldn't speak.

Martha got up. "How is this possible sweetheart?"

Clark told them his theory on Lois being the reason for new ability.

Lana finally broke her silence. "I want to see you do it."

"Well…I've kind only done it that one time. I'm not even sure how, really."

"Let's go outside, come on Clark it won't hurt to try," said Chloe.

"I don't know Chloe." Clark sighed.

"I think Chloe's right, you should try now." Martha said with assurance.

They all got up and went out to the driveway.

Clark paced for a few seconds, taking deep breaths. He had no clue how he was going to do this, let alone while an audience watched him. It was already pitch black out and he wasn't sure about testing out this knew ability in the dark.

"Alright everyone just back up a little bit. Let me try and figure this out."

"Clark, try to focus all of your energy into your legs and feet and try to push off. When you do, channel that energy thought the rest of your body," advised Jonathan.

"Since when can you fly Dad, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a little more complicated than that."

This time Lois walked over to Clark and placed her hands on his face. "Listen Smallville, you can do this. I'm right here and so are the rest of the people in your life who love and support you no matter what. Just take your mind back to when you were holding me as we danced. Don't think, just feel. Believe in yourself like you believe in me." She kissed him and then rejoined the rest of the group.

Clark closed his eyes and blocked everything else out, except for one thing: Lois' heartbeat. He began to breathe slower and slower as her heartbeat calmed him down. He slowly bent his knees and focused all of his energy into his legs and feet. The ground began to shake a little. Everyone in the grouped looked at each other. Clark took a deep breath and then pushed off the ground, shooting up like a rocket before disappearing in the darkness.

Jonathan, Martha, Chloe and Lana stood there in shock after what they head just witnessed. Lois stared into the sky and took a few steps forward as she searched for him in the darkness. Martha buried her head into Jonathan's body.

"Oh god Jonathan, what if he wasn't ready? He could get seriously hurt or worse."

"He'll be fine Martha, he's Clark."

Clark was soaring up in to the sky. When he finally opened his eyes, he stopped and remained suspended in the air, just above the clouds. He looked around and took in the view. He could see the Metropolis skyline along with all the lit houses in the surrounding suburbs. He closed his eyes and listened. He could hear so much more from up above the clouds. It amazed him that he had just discovered one of his greatest powers just after he revealed himself to the greatest girl he had ever met.

Suddenly the sky lit up behind him as he turned to see a row of lights heading right for him. He bolted to the side, just barely missing the wing of the commercial jet. The force of the plane caused him to lose control and he plummeted to the ground. He regained control a couple of times before losing it again. He finally crashed down into a field, creating a small crater. He slowly rose before it hit him. His blood began to boil and the old familiar pain that he had experienced multiple times, consumed his body.

He had landed in a field full of kryptonite.


	15. Gotham

"Something's not right. I mean he should be back by now, right?" Lana asked them.

"He could still be testing it out, I would." Chloe said trying to sound strong. She had begun to worry too.

"Lana's right, we should have seen him." Jonathan stepped forward, searching the skies.

"Maybe he saw someone in trouble, he could be helping them," suggested Martha.

Lois had walked over to the barn. She could feel something wasn't right but wasn't quite sure what it was. Her eyes scanned the dark, hoping to catch any movement. She looked towards the cornfield and saw it. A dark spot fell fast from the sky and soft boom was heard. "Clark!"

Everybody else heard the boom and looked around trying to figure out where it had come from.

"Where's Lois?"

Lois was speeding through the cornfield in the direction of the boom. She tripped and fell a couple of times. The last time, she landed hard on her broken ribs. The pain medication had begun to wear off and she let out a scream. She got up and kept going, clutching her side. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to Clark. When she arrived at the crater, she saw a motionless body lying in the center.

"Clark!" she screamed, running to his side. She knelt down beside him and turned him on his back. "Wake up, wake up!"

He was barely breathing. He struggled to open his eyes but when he did, he looked up and saw Lois. She smiled at him and he knew everything was going to be okay.

"Lois, get me out of here."

Lois pulled Clark onto his feet and threw his arm over her shoulder. His 6"4' frame towered over her. His weight almost crushed her and she thought her ribs were going to bust out. She closed her eyes and dug her feet into the ground and started out of the crater. When they finally got far enough away from the kryptonite, Clark was finally able to stand on his own.

Lois bent over and held her ribs. She was in more pain than she thought possible. Clark grabbed her hand.

"How in the world were you able to get me out of there with you ribs like that?"

"Adrenaline, I guess." She smirked. "I thought I had lost you."

"It's going to take a lot more than a fall from 30,000 ft. to get rid of me Lois." He joked. He then saw how much pain she was in. He knew he needed to get her back to the house but he was barely strong enough to stand.

"You need you pain pills. I'm taking you back." He picked her up, stumbling slightly.

"Smallville you can barely stand, there's no way you'll be able to super speed us back."

"Who said anything about running?"

Clark rose in the air with Lois in his arms as he flew back towards the farm. She moved her head around and watched as the cornfield flew by beneath them. She couldn't believe they were flying. She closed her eyes and rested her head against Clark's chest. As they got closer to the farm, Clark used every bit of the strength he had left to land softly. His family and friends ran to them as Clark sat Lois down. He took a couple of steps before finally collapsing from exhaustion.

* * *

Clark had slept the entire night and the next day after his encounter with the field of kryptonite. When he woke, he was greeted by Lois' smile and a kiss. He tried to get up but Lois pushed him back down. She had decided she was going to take care of Clark no matter how he was feeling.

"You're not allowed to do anything today. You just lay there and let nurse Lane take care of you."

"Nurse Lane, huh? I like the sound of that. Any chance you can get the outfit to match?"

"Don't push it Smallville, but if you're lucky, I think I can at least arrange a sponge bath." She said in her sexy voice. "I think you'll enjoy that outfit a little bit more."

"Whoa, be careful Ms. Lane. I don't know if I'll be healthy enough. I might be too tired by then."

Lois looked down at the sheets and smiled, "I think Clark Jr. would have to disagree."

Clark looked down and blushed, "Lois!"

A week had since passed and Clark decided that it was time to go to Gotham to investigate. He loaded up Lois' convertible and set out with girls. When they got to the city, they stopped at diner for lunch. They talked over various strategies for finding out information on Lionel and Lex. Chloe was still convinced that there was a connection with the attempted attack on Gotham two years. They kept going over ideas as their food was served. Lois and Clark ended up getting in an argument over who ordered the rolls. Clark conceited when Lois whispered something in his ear. He opened his eyes wide and his cheeks reddened, while glancing over at Chloe and Lana, making sure they hadn't heard what Lois had said. The door to diner opened and in walked Jimmy.

"Jimmy!" Chloe yelled. She got up and ran over to him, hugging him.

"Hey everyone, I hope you all don't mind me dropping by like this. But I got us all invites to Bruce Wayne's dinner tonight."

"How in the world did you manage that?" Lois asked.

"Let's just say a friend owed me a favor."

"I can't believe you did this, you guys this going to be so much fun!" Chloe screamed.

Clark could tell how different Chloe acted when she was around Jimmy. She was happy, happier than he had ever seen her.

"Well Chloe, I was kind of hoping you would go with me…as my date." Jimmy said nervously.

"Of course, I would Mr. Olsen."

"I don't know Jimmy, aren't these dinners usually all fancy and stuff. We don't exactly have the proper attire with us." Clark tried to reason. He wasn't too particularly excited about this. He had other things on his mind and they didn't include spending the evening with Gotham's rich and famous.

"Oh shut up Smallville. Jimmy, Clark and I would love to go. Plus now we have an excuse to go shopping!" Lois exclaimed.

Clark rolled his eyes, "Thanks a lot a Jimmy, I'm going to savor every moment of this shopping spree," he sarcastically said while looking straight at Lois.

"Oh and that means that we have to find Lana a date now too!" yelled Chloe.

"No, no, no. I think I'll sit this one out. Besides, I could use a quiet night to myself."

"You know a quiet night doesn't sound so bad," protested Clark.

"Zip it, you're going. Remember that thing I whispered in your ear? If you want any of that to happen, you will escort me to this social function. Got it?" Lois said with fire in her eyes.

"You win, as usual." Clark sighed.

Chloe leaned over towards Lana and whispered, "Lois Lane, the only person capable of controlling the most powerful man on this planet."

They checked into the hotel and then all left to shop for something to wear. Chloe and Lois went off to look for dresses. Lana decided to hang with the boys as they went to rent tuxes. Jimmy and Clark were both kind of clueless on what to go for so Lana kind of took over and chose for them. She got so carried away that she hadn't noticed the tall, blond haired man who had walked up beside her. Jimmy and Clark sat and watched the man simply stand there smiling, waited for Lana to acknowledge him. Finally the man spoke.

"You have really good tastes miss, but I would say you should be wearing something a little more revealing and more lady-like."

Lana turned to face the man and her eyes lit up. She laughed a little bit and struggled to say anything.

Clark stood up fast, "she's actually just helping us out. We weren't sure what we were doing; Lana is good with this sort of stuff."

"Lana is it?" He turned back to her, "That's a beautiful name. And which of these two is lucky enough to claim you?"

Lana still couldn't find any words.

Jimmy stepped in this time, "Neither actually, well Clark here used to. Both of our dates are out searching for dresses. We're going to Bruce Wayne's event tonight. Lana here decided she didn't want to go."

"Is that right? Well I too, happen to be attending this event. I don't have a date yet, would you be interested?"

Lana shook her head yes.

"Great, well how about I pick you and your friends up say seven? We can use my limo."

"I'm sorry but we don't even know your name," said Clark.

"You all must not read the tabloids. Where are you from?"

"We're from just outside of Metropolis."

"I just recently moved to Metropolis. I'm surprised you don't know me. My name is Oliver Queen."

* * *

Clark sat on the end of the bed waiting for Lois to finally come out of the bathroom. When she did, Clark's jaw dropped. Lois was wearing a bright red strapless dress that perfect accented every curve on her body. Clark was utterly speechless.

"How do I look?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Lois…y-you look amazing."

Lois smiled, "Really? I wasn't so sure the dress would work."

"Let's just say the only thing keeping me from ripping that dress off of your body, is how beautiful you look with it on."

"I hate my beauty sometimes." She joked.

The group hopped in Oliver's limo and headed to the dinner. They were greeted by cameras and the paparazzi when they arrived. Oliver quickly pushed them past and they made their way to the dinner hall. The hall was lit up with classical lights and was accompanied by a small orchestra. The room was filled with the wealthy hierarchy of Gotham City, as well as Metropolis and Star City. They sat down at their table as Clark scanned the room. He figured he should try to find out anything he could while they were there since he had no other options.

Lois had gotten up to get her and Clark drinks, knowing he was focusing his hearing throughout the place. She stood waiting at the bar as man with dark hair approached.

"You must be here alone, as I find it hard to believe anybody would be dumb enough to leave someone as beautiful as you all by yourself."

Lois turned and chuckled, "That's some pick up line you got there. Unfortunately you are using it on the wrong girl."

"And what exactly makes you the wrong girl?"

"You are handsome, but my dream man is a little bit taller with dark black hair and blue eyes. Oh and he has to have grown up on a farm."

"I'm not sure you'll find too many like that around here. Maybe a dance will change your mind."

"While I appreciate the offer, my farm boy is walking up right now."

Clark approached and kissed her on the cheek. "Everything alright? I thought you may have gotten lost."

"It is now. I was just chatting with a new friend here."

"I don't believe we've been introduced." The man said and extended his hand, "Bruce Wayne."

Clark met the hand shake with his, "Clark Kent. And this here is Lois Lane. I have to admit, this is a wonderful event." He glanced around the room again.

"Thank you. I just wanted to do something that would help commemorate Harvey Dent's life. He was a friend and what happened to him was tragic. I just hope they catch this so called 'Dark Knight'." Bruce replied.

"Bruce! What's up buddy? Long time no see." Oliver had joined them and he and Bruce exchanged hands.

"It's nice to you again Ollie. It has been awhile."

Oliver turned to Lois and Clark, "You see me and Bruce go way back to our younger partying days. We were both young billionaires and were the only one's capable of having the same amount of fun. We even had a secret competition to see who could out do the other in the business world."

"Sounds like you two have a lot in common." Clark chimed in.

A new song played as many in the room grabbed their partner and headed to dance floor. Lois drug Clark and went to the center of the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Thanks."

"For what?"

"This. For being here with me. I know how much you want to be out searching the city. I just wanted to thank you for making time for me."

"Lois, I'll always make time for you. Don't ever think that I would do different."

Just then the song changed as everyone switched dancing partners. Now Clark was paired up with a gorgeous woman who couldn't have been much older than him. She had jet black hair, blue eyes, and was only a couple of inches shorter than he was. She smiled at him.

"Well you sure are cute. I haven't gotten to dance with anybody here under the age of forty all night," the woman said.

"Well that's not surprising considered I'm one of maybe ten who fit that age criteria."

The woman laughed, "You know where I'm from; we don't see a whole lot of men. So far I haven't met one that I actually like. But there's something about you that's different, something that leads me to believe that you are special. It's in your eyes. What's your name?"

"Clark Kent."

"It's nice to meet you Clark, I'm Diana Prince."

Clark studied her face for a moment. She was different. She wasn't different like Lois was in his heart. But there was something about her that caught Clark's attention. It was the look in her eyes, the same look Clark recognized every day when he looked in the mirror.

"Where exactly are you from? It must be pretty rural if you hardly ever see men."

"I would tell you but then I'd have to kill you. Besides, what are you, a reporter or something?"

"Not quite, just interested to know your story that's all."

"Well that makes two of us Clark. Maybe we can get together sometime and swap stories and whatever else."

"I don't know that my girlfriend would approve of that, she's…very protective."

"Oh, well whoever she is, I hope she knows how lucky she is. In another life time, I'd hope to someday be in her place."

"You are very charming Diana. I don't see why we can't be friends in this life time."

"I'd like that very much. Next time I'm in the area, I'll have to look you up."

"And I'll have to do the same, if I ever come across where you're from."

The song ended and people began clearing the dance floor and taking their seats as it was time for Bruce to give his speech. Clark continued to survey the room. There was something about being in a room full of some of the most powerful people in the area, that he didn't care for too much. A small part of it reminded him of Lex.

"Good evening. Most of you here know me but for those who don't, my name is Bruce Wayne. I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight as we remember Harvey Dent. Harvey was a great person and a good friend of mine. He stood up for what was right when this city needed it the most. Thanks to him, people like the Joker and other criminals do not have a place here. They are locked up where they can no longer terrorize this great city."

Clark looked from table to table studying each face. His eyes finally fell upon a female server. She was quietly walking around the room but wasn't actually serving anything. She was fairly attractive and occasionally whispered things into the ears of some of the gentlemen who were all sitting there with their complete attention on Bruce. Clark's attention was momentarily back on Bruce as he remembered what Chloe had said about the dark path Harvey Dent took that no one knew about.

"What happened to Harvey is truly a tragedy. But let us remember that Harvey Dent stood up for he believed all the way up to his last breath. It's because of his beliefs, that he was able to become Gotham's white knight."

Clark looked back but the girl was gone. He scanned the room again but she wasn't anywhere to be found.

"And that's why I want to help Commissioner Gordon pass the Dent Act, which will virtually wipe out crime in Gotham and make this city safe again."

Everyone in the room stood up and clapped as Bruce finished his speech. Clark looked around again for the suspicious looking girl. Finally he spotted her near the exit as she reached into a woman's purse, pulling out a necklace and quickly left.

Clark leaned over to Lois, "I'll be right back."

He made his way through the crowd and out of the building, stopping just outside. He looked in both directions but didn't see the girl. A small crowd poured out of the building as Bruce Wayne was leaving. He stopped beside Clark and shook his hand again.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Wayne."

"Please, it's Bruce. Anytime you're in town, you're more than welcome to stop by." Bruce said while handing Clark his card."

A car pulled up and an older gentleman got out.

"Right this way master Wayne," the man said while opening the door.

"Thanks Alfred."

Clark walked down the side walk as he focused his hearing throughout the city. Finally he heard the voice of girl bragging about the piece of jewelry she had just stolen. He took off in the direction and stopped just down the street from two women standing on the corner.

"Hey! That necklace doesn't belong to you!" Clark yelled.

The girl took off down the street, knocking people down as she went. Clark took off after but not at his super speed. He had to remember to be more careful in a big city. The girl turned down an alley and disappeared in the shadows. Clark slowly walked down the dark path. He used his x-ray vision and found a body hiding behind the corner.

"I know where you're hiding. I'm not going to hurt you. Just give the necklace back and let's talk for a second."

The girl laughed, "Right, and then we can be best friends? I don't think so mister."

"I just want to help. Maybe if we at least get on a first name basis, we can work something out. My name is Clark."

"And now you want me to give you my name so that you can tell the police, am I right?" she said.

"No, I'm not going to go to the police. I think that life as handed you a rough deal and you've resorted to stealing and a life of crime. But it doesn't always have to be like that. You can change."

"You're not from around here are you? This IS the way of life. You're either rich or you're poor, there is no middle. I take what I can from the wealthy because it doesn't affect them. The rich get richer and the rest of us our left to fend for ourselves."

Clark had finally had enough and super sped around the corner grabbing the girl by her shoulders.

"Well aren't you special? Strong and very handsome as well," she said while rubbing her hands up and down Clark's arms. "It's a shame too."

She pushed Clark's arms away and spun, attempting to kick him in the face. Clark stuck his hand up and caught her foot before pushing her against the wall.

"I like a man with a little fight in him."

"I'll be taking the necklace now." Clark reached into the woman's purse and pulled it out. Suddenly a pain struck his hand and spread across his body. He looked down to see that the necklace had a kryptonite emblem. He bent down towards the ground, dropping the necklace. The girl kicked him in the gut and Clark fell over on his side.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" She bent over and grabbed the necklace. "Since you went through all this trouble, the least I can do is tell you my name." She leaned her head down and kissed Clark, then licked the side of his face. "It's Selina," she whispered before doing a series of flips and cartwheels and then disappearing down the alley.

Clark got to his feet a little confused and upset. His first attempt at stopping crime in a big city didn't go exactly as planned. A man appeared by the street in front of the alley.

"Are you alright son?" The man said as he ran towards Clark.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks."

"I'm Commissioner James Gordon, who did that to you?"

"Well Commissioner, I'm not really sure. Whoever she was, she moved like a cat." Clark said while rubbing his head.

"Which direction did she go?" A deep voice called out from the shadows as a dark figured emerged.

"I'm glad you showed up, we have things to discuss," announced Gordon who then suddenly got a call over the radio. "I've got to go. You should be going too, this city still needs Batman whether they know it or not," he said while running off.

"So you are the one they call the Batman?" Clark asked.

"It doesn't matter what they call me. Now do you know where the girl went."

"I'm sorry, I don't."

Batman stuck his finger to his ear and pressed a button. "Go ahead." He said into the speaker as he shot his grappling gun up in the air and quickly rose behind it.

Clark used his hearing and listened in on the conversation. He heard a familiar voice, one that he had just recently heard just twenty minutes ago.

"You're presence is needed home sir, I have some information," said the voice on the other line.

Then Clark realized who it was, it was Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred on the other line. Clark looked in the direction Batman had gone.

"Bruce Wayne?" Clark whispered to himself.


	16. The Batman

_Bruce Wayne is Batman? The billionaire, playboy spends his nights dressed as a bat and fights crime? _Clark couldn't believe it. He could only imagine what Chloe would say when she found out. He decided that it was time that he and Batman/Bruce Wayne had a serious talk about what happened to Gotham City. So Clark took to the skies for the first time in a week. He was still trying to get used to it, occasionally coming close to hitting a building every now and then. He finally spotted Batman on his bike and pursued. While in pursuit his phone rang, it was Lois.

"Hey, I was just about to call you."

"You said you would be right back. That was 30 minutes ago Smallville."

"Yeah, I know. I tried to stop a robbery, it didn't go too well."

"What happened?"

"Just a small run in with a kryptonite necklace, but I'm fine."

"Clark, I love that you try to help everyone who needs it. But you have to be more careful."

"I know that now. I just didn't realize how far the meteor rocks had made their way."

"Well now you know. And where the hell are you? I can barely hear a word you're saying…you're not flying are you?

Clark didn't say anything.

"Clark Joseph Kent, answer me right this second."

"Yes Lois I'm flying."

"Oh..my..god! I can't believe you! You said the next time you were going to do that; I would get to be there. You said you would take me flying again. So guess what, you know that thing I whispered about to you? Well forget about it. Go ahead and tell Clark Jr. that he has a long road to go unless Lois Lane is swept off of her feet and flown to the moon."

"Lois! That's totally not fair! I'm chasing a lead right now."

"I don't care Smallville. You could be going to talk to Batman and I wouldn't care less."

"Well actually…"

"No. You are not about to meet Batman! How in the world did you find him?"

"He kind of found me, listen I've got to go. I love you Lois."

"I love you too, Smallville."

* * *

Clark flew under the cover of the night, just above the skyscrapers. He followed the bike all the way to the outskirts of the city to the famous Wayne mansion. He watched as Bruce drove his bike around the far side and disappeared into a cave. He decided that following him all the way to his hideout might feel like an invasion of privacy. Instead he rang the doorbell to the mansion and waited as Alfred answered.

"Hi, I'm here to see Mr. Bruce Wayne."

"I'm sorry sir, but Master Wayne isn't here right now."

"I think he just got home actually, I saw him pull around towards the south east side of the building."

Alfred's eyes jumped and he quickly shut the door before opening it back up. "I'm sorry sir, come right in. I'll tell Master Wayne that.."

"Clark Kent."

"..that you're here to see him."

Clark entered and looked around, observing the giant room. Alfred had sped off pretty quickly. Clark had guessed that he had probably almost given the poor man a heart attack. Still looking around, he walked over to a table and picked up a picture of Bruce and a young woman who he could tell Bruce cared for a lot. It was also one of the few pictures around as there wasn't much decoration throughout the house. He was curious as to why at first but then remembered that this guy doubled as Batman and probably didn't have the time for interior design.

Clark looked through the walls and saw a very distraught Alfred frantically telling Bruce about him. He couldn't make out the words so his super hearing kicked in.

"Master Wayne, you've become reckless. You're identity as been compromised. How could you be so careless?" Alfred said in a panicked voice.

"Alfred, calm down. What are you talking about?" Bruce said while moving his hands towards the ground in a calming motion.

"Sir, there is a man here who saw you in costume on your bike. He saw you enter near the cave."

"Alfred, who is this man?"

"That's the thing, you just met him tonight, a Mr. Clark Kent."

"Clark Kent? But that's impossible, I just saw him right before I came here. He was attacked by someone after I got there. I sped away from him. There's no way he could have seen me, let alone gotten here so quick."

"I don't know how he did it but I'm fairly certain he knows that you are Batman."

"Well let's go see just how much he knows."

Clark heard them getting closer. When Bruce walked in, Clark pretended to knock over a vase that had been sitting on a table. He wasn't quite sure why he did it, but he felt like he should make himself seem less super. Bruce picked it up and set it back on the table.

"When I said drop by, I didn't realize it would be so fast. Is everything alright Clark?"

"Well, there's something I was hoping to talk to you about. I would like to know as much as possible about the attack on Gotham City a few years ago by a mysterious group."

Bruce eyed Clark.

"And don't worry Mr. Wayne, your secret is safe with me."

"And what might that be?" Bruce quickly questioned.

Clark hesitated, "I know who you really are. I know what you do at night as the Batman."

Bruce became very cautious, "Excuse me if I seem a little uptight right now, it's not every day that someone is able to pull one over on me. How, exactly, were you able to figure it out."

A part of Clark loved the fact that he had the playboy on the ropes. "Let's just say that I can do things other people can't. Besides, I hear you're known as the world's greatest detective, I'm sure you'll figure me out sooner or later."

"Well I know that you have the ability to get from one place to another in a rather short period of time. And you are somehow able to see and hear things that no human would be able to do. What else can you do?"

"That's another conversation all together Bruce, maybe sometime we'll be able to sit down and discuss it. But for now I want to ask you about the attempted attacks on Gotham two years ago."

"Why exactly are you so interested?"

"Lionel and Lex Luthor, one murdered and the other kidnapped. I'm trying to figure out who was behind it."

Bruce gave Clark an unsure look.

"Lex is an old friend, he was like a brother to me."

Bruce nodded before leading Clark down a hallway. "I've actually done a little bit of research on both of them. Since they are one of my biggest rivals, I make it a point to keep tabs on them. To me at first, it looked like Lex murdered his father and then fled. But as I dug a little deeper, there's no way that could be the case."

"That's because Lex was in a meeting at the time of Lionel's death. And Lionel would not have committed suicide; he was thrown out of that room."

"That, I have to agree with. But what does this have to do with me and Gotham City?"

"Someone took Lex. He had kidnapped two of my friends and was about to kill them both when someone else took him."

"What do you mean someone else took him?"

"My friend described them as some type of terror organization, one similar to the one that attacked Gotham. They are a group similar to the organization that you stopped. I need to know whatever you can tell me about them."

Bruce sat there for a moment out weighing the pros and cons of telling this kid the truth or not. There was something about Clark that he genuinely admired but at the same time recognized he was a young man full of secrets. He decided to give Clark a bit of information to go on.

"They call themselves the League of Assassins or the League of Shadows."

"I've never heard of anything like that. I only know of the terrorists organizations in the middle east."

"That's because they pride themselves in their secrecy. They make the Middle Eastern organizations look like chump change. They've existed for centuries with the main objective to destroy civilizations once they have reached their peak. They sacked Rome, started the Black Plague, and set off World War I. Gotham was their next target. They fully believed that what they are doing was right and they were almost unstoppable."

"Until you stopped them," said Clark.

Bruce nodded, "They were led by a man who went by the name, Ra's Al Ghul. He was a eco-terrorist, hell bent on creating a world with a perfect balance. He was an expert in all areas of martial arts and a master assassin. He was a mastermind when it came to strategy and deception."

"How do you know so much about him and the League of Shadows?"

Bruce paused for a moment. "I was recruited by Ra's al Ghul when I was younger and in a dark place. He trained me and wanted me to eventually take over for him. When they wanted me to kill, I refused and left the place to burn. After leaving the League I returned home to Gotham."

Clark couldn't believe what he had just heard. "So do you think they could be responsible for what happened to the Luthors?"

"Not likely, Ra's al Ghul died the night he attempted to destroy Gotham. The League started and ended with him and would have disbanded afterwards."

Clark was disappointed to hear the news because he was right back to square one now. Both he and Bruce were both in deep thought until Bruce broke the silence.

"What exactly is your connection to Lionel and Lex Luthor again?"

Clark was a little startled by the question; he hadn't planned being the one to answer the questions.

"Lex and I used to be really close, almost like brothers as I said before. We had a bad falling out but I still don't want any harm to come to him. Lionel had always been very controlling and a little obsessed about me and my family. But recently he had changed and showed me a slight bit of kindness. My friend thinks that there is definitely a connection between what happened to them and what happened in Gotham. If there is a connection then that means something big is going to happen at some point."

"I'll keep an eye on it and see what else I can find. It could be a number of organizations as I'm sure the Luthors had many enemies."

"Thanks Bruce, I figured you might want to know about a potential threat anyways. I know you don't need the help but it never hurts to have a little. By the way, I really like you setup in the cave."

Bruce raised his eyebrow, "Well I guess it doesn't matter now anyways, come on."

Clark followed as Bruce led him to the cave. They went down the specialized elevator and stopped at the bottom. When they entered, Bruce hit a button and a giant platform rose from the water. On the platform was a series of big TV and computer monitors, all of which were showing different news stories and different information. To the right there was separate system of computers and a wall of technologically advanced gadgets. To the far left sat, what Clark believed to be, the infamous Bat mobile. It was unlike any vehicle Clark had seen before. It was armored like a tank but looked to have the mobility of a Humvee.

"This is incredible Bruce. I wish I had a place half as cool as this."

"I built it myself. This place allows me to keep an eye on the city and store all the resources I need."

"I can see that," Clark motioned towards the Bat mobile.

"Wayne Enterprises allows me plenty of access to pretty much anything I need, including the newest weapon developments. Get in Clark; I'll give you a lift even though something tells me you don't need it."

Clark shrugged his shoulders and smiled while climbing into the passenger seat. Bruce got in and started the vehicle up with a loud roar. He put it in drive and burned rubber, flying out of the cave and through the waterfall that hid the entrance.

"This is definitely different than my Dad's pickup truck," joked Clark.

Bruce cracked a smile.

"There's something else I've been meaning to ask you. What made you decide to start the whole Batman thing?"

Bruce knew that question was coming sooner or later. "My parents were murdered in front of me when I was young. I vowed from that day on that I would one day fight crime and bring justice to those who committed it. I took the training and knowledge that I had learned from the League of Shadows and applied them to fight crime here in the city."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents Bruce. I never knew my birth parents but I was lucky enough to be adopted by two of the best people I've ever known."

"That's good to hear Clark. That's one of the reasons I want to make this city great again, so that kids like you and myself won't be scared. So that they have people who are willing to adopt and care for them. The point of Batman is to be a symbol. I wanted to put that fear I once felt as a kid into the criminals of this city."

"You know there's a big world out there with billions of people who need hero's just like yourself. Maybe when that day comes that Gotham doesn't need you; you might expand your boundaries a little bit."

"You're a very bright young man Clark. I admire that. You also have the skills of a veteran reporter too which is kind of scary for a person like me," Bruce chuckled.

"A reporter? I don't know about that. But since I'm on a roll, why did you choose the whole bat look?"

"When I was a kid, I fell into a cave and a swarm of bats flew past me. I had nightmares for weeks upon weeks. In my training with Ra's Al Ghul, he taught me how to overcome my fears. I was finally able to overcome my fear of bats and so that sparked the idea."

"That's impressive, let those who oppose you share the fear you once had." Before Clark could stop himself, he asked, "So what exactly happened with Harvey Dent?"

There was a complete change in Bruce's demeanor. "What happened to Harvey Dent, I will never be able to forgive myself. He was brilliant and passionate about what he believed in. He also never backed down no matter the threat. We both lost the only woman we ever loved."

"The girl in the picture? Who was she?"

"Her name was Rachel Dawes. She was my oldest friend and one of the only few who knew I was Batman. She was the love of my life but couldn't be with me while I was out protecting the city. She had told me that once the city no longer needed Batman, that we would finally be able to be with each other. However, she became involved with Harvey and got mixed up in the Joker's game. The Joker had kidnapped both of them and placed them in two separate buildings with both surrounded by explosives. The Joker tricked me into going to save Harvey. He then killed Rachel."

"I had no idea Bruce, I'm so sorry."

"I'm not going to lie and say it hasn't changed me. I'm still in a dark place and I don't know if I'll ever come out of it. The life that I saw in the future is no longer there. I now long for the day that the city doesn't need me. I thought I had that with Harvey. He represented everything that I stood for. The only difference was that he could have been the face of justice for the people. Just seeing a face makes all the difference in terms of hope. Unfortunately after Rachel's death and his accident with some acid, he was psychologically manipulated by the Joker, whose plan was to completely destroy Harvey and his message by turning him into the very thing he swore to fight."

"And this thing about you killing him, that's not true right?"

"Harvey fell to his death. He had kidnapped Commissioner Gordon's family and would have killed his son if I hadn't tackled him off the bridge. I came up with the plan to make Batman look like the villain so that Harvey's name could still give people hope. If they ever knew what he had become, we would have lost all the progress the city had made. Harvey was the hero that the city needed and that's why we started the Dent Act to help keep the crime out of Gotham."

"I have new profound respect for you, Bruce. I've learned a lot just talking with you for this short time and I just want to thank you for everything. You've helped me tremendously and I know you didn't have to."

"There's something special about you Clark and it's killing me that I don't know what it is yet. You have the presence like no one I've ever met. I truly believe that you are going to go on and do great things in this world."

They stopped a couple of blocks from Clark's hotel.

"I have the feeling that this won't be the last time we meet Bruce. I don't know why I feel that but something just tells me so. Next time you're in Metropolis or Smallville, drop by anytime. Thanks for the ride."

* * *

Clark got out and started walking towards the hotel. He didn't know it then but that was the first of many meetings between Bruce and himself. It was late when he got back to the hotel room. He figured Lois would be fast asleep but when he opened the door he was surprise. Lois was sitting on the edge of the bed, still wearing her dress but wore a jacket over it. He looked at her with a puzzled face.

"Lois, I thought you'd be asleep."

"You thought wrong Smallville. Now let's go," she said as she got up and pulled Clark towards the door.

"Go? Go where? It's past midnight."

"You're taking me a flying."

"Lois, I'm tired and just want to go to bed."

"You sound as if you have a choice," she said while placing her hands on her hips and raising an eye brow at him. "I'm sorry that you're tired, I am too. The sooner we go, the sooner you can come back and go to sleep… unless Clark Jr. feels otherwise."

Clark blushed, "Since when do you call my-my…IT that?"

"Well we haven't been properly introduced yet so I figured this was a safe bet for now. Anyways, less talking and more flying."

Clark gave up and scooped Lois up in his arms, he stepped out onto the balcony and made sure no one was looking, and then took to the skies.

"This is amazing," Lois gasped.

"The city is nice at night, isn't it."

"I'm not talking about the city, I'm talking about what I'm feeling right now, here with you. I can't even put it into words. It's greater than love but I don't know what that is called."

"You don't have to put it into words to describe it to me because I feel it too. I've never felt more like myself than when I fly with you. You've given something that I've always wanted…acceptance. For now, love will just have to do, I love you Lois Lane."

"I love you too Clark Kent."

They kissed as they flew by the giant Wayne Enterprises building in the heart of the city.

"So how was your meeting with Batman?" Lois asked.

Clark looked at her with amazement, "How can you be so calm when asking something like that? Anybody else would be giddy with excitement but you act as if it's something that happens every day."

"Well I'm currently flying in my boyfriend's arms right now, not much can get me anymore excited. Plus I'm pretty sure that someday it will be a pretty common thing so I might as well treat it like that now. Besides, it's like I get to play the part of the wife asking her husband how his day at work was. That's always been a dream of mine."

"You are full of surprises Ms. Lane," he said with a big smile.

Lois got serious again, "So really, how was it?"

"It was something that's for sure. It was good and bad. The bad being, I'm not closer to finding out what happened with the Luthors."

"And the good?"

"I think I might have made a friend. He's someone who I share similar beliefs with and is a true hero. He's also the last person you expect to be Batman too."

"Hold on a second, are you telling me you know who he is?"

Clark only smiled.

"Smallville, you're going to tell me aren't you?"

"I'm sorry Lois but I can't. I respect him too much to just start telling everyone who he is."

"Well I'm not just anybody. And I belief I know a thing or two about keeping a secret, I'm freaking dating the world's greatest secret."

"I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you when the time is right, if you lay off of the Clark Jr. stuff."

"Oh Clark, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. Look when the time is right for both of us, we'll know. I'll back off on my end, even though I love watching you squirm when I bring up junior."

"You do love that, don't you? Well now I'm going to make you squirm."

"How exactly are you going to do that?"

"By telling you that Batman is somebody that you know," he winked as they rose higher into the night sky above the city lights.

* * *

Bruce arrived back at the bat cave just as Alfred had entered carrying a cup of coffee.

"Has our guest left already sir?"

"He has Alfred," Bruce took the cup from him.

"What exactly are we dealing with here master Wayne?"

"I'm not sure yet. I think he's trying to help and I don't think I have to worry about him revealing my identity. Something tells me he knows a thing or two about keeping secrets."

"Well if he's keeping secrets sir, there's only one man I can think of who can uncover them." Alfred smiled.

Bruce smiled back and sat down at his computer and typed in the words _Clark Kent._

Almost instantly, close to fifty news articles and police reports popped on the various screens on the wall. Bruce began skimming through the different articles that originated from either Metropolis or Smallville. Bruce also caught the series of reports from the Smallville high school newspaper which reported many unexplained saves that seemed to stem from the same person.

Alfred took a step back and observed the screens, "I'll go make another pot of coffee, I believe you have some reading to do sir."


	17. We're in this Together

Clark and Lois had safely arrived back to their hotel room. Clark laid her on the bed and went into the bathroom. He was brushing his teeth when Lois nudged him out of the way.

"Lois, watch out. I'm trying to do something here."

"Get used to it Smallville."

"You're really going to play this card because I won't tell you who Batman is. Real mature Lois, real mature."

Clark rinsed his mouth out and went straight to bed. He covered himself under the covers and rolled on his side facing his back to where Lois would sleep. Lois came out of the bathroom and saw Clark. She had him right where she wanted him. She crawled into bed beside him and gently ran her fingers across his shoulder and back. Clark remained still. She then placed a kiss on the side of his neck while beginning to lean over him. Clark rolled over on his stomach pretending to ignore her. She straddled his back and began massaging his shoulders. She occasionally bent down to kiss Clark's neck and shoulders.

Clark knew if he didn't diffuse the situation quickly, Lois would get her way. He attempted to roll over fast and knock Lois back down on the bed beside him, but Lois was ready for it. In one swift motion, she rose up and landed back down on top of Clark's waist, grabbing both of his wrists, and pinned him down. Clark looked up at her in amazement as she sat on him with a huge grin on her face.

"So Smallville, I think you're going to tell me who Batman is now."

"And what makes you think that? You know I can just lift you off of me with my pinky finger."

Lois smiled at him as Clark Jr. woke up. Clark didn't know what to do. He had never seen this side of Lois before. Lois leaned her head down to his and kissed him. Clark Jr. was wide awake at this point and Clark's breath began speeding up. Lois giggled a little bit as Clark began to sweat. She kissed his forehead and then his cheeks.

"Let's try this again. Clark, tell me who Batman is."

"Lois, I'm..I'm not sure he'd like me telling you."

"Big deal, I'm not worried about what he thinks, now who is he? You said he's somebody I know, so just tell me who."

Clark stared into her eyes and felt more powerful and at the same time more powerless, than ever before. Lois was in complete control now and there was nothing Clark could do about it. He finally couldn't take it anymore and caved.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. You're not going to believe me anyways."

"Try me."

"He's someone you just met today. He's one of the last people you would ever expect and he has the money and resources to be Batman."

Lois raised her eyebrows and thought for a moment, "Well that leaves only two possibilities, Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne. So which one is it? I seriously doubt that it's Oliver, that guy doesn't have one single hero bone in his body. So that leaves Bruce Wayne."

Clark smiled at her but didn't say anything.

Then it finally hit Lois, "Holy sh*t Smallville! Are you serious? There is no possible way that someone like him could ever be Batman."

"I was shocked at first too."

Lois rolled off of Clark and lied down beside him. Clark adjusted himself a little bit, trying to get Clark Jr. to go back to sleep.

"I don't know what to say. I would have never guessed that Bruce Wayne could be this guy. The way he acts just makes him seem like….such a douche."

Clark busted out laughing. Lois could be so blunt sometimes and that's one of the things he loved about her.

"I don't why you're laughing; he was trying to hit on me earlier before you walked over."

Clark's laugh faded quickly as he stared at her with a puzzled look. Through their short time of dating, he hadn't really encountered something like this. Sure there Wes but when it came to someone new taking a liking to Lois, Clark didn't know how to handle it.

"Oh…he did? I..didn't have a clue."

"You never do," Lois laughed. "And that's one of the reason's I love you so much. You don't look for stuff like that because you have such a pure heart. And I know your trust in me is so strong that you know that there's no one else out there that could take me away from you. Not even Batman."

A smile grew on Clark's face. She knew him almost better than he knew himself. The girl of his dreams was lying right beside him and Clark still couldn't believe that he had gotten so lucky. It was then that he had decided that it was time to unite the crystals. He knew that no matter the outcome, he would always have Lois.

Lois interrupted his thoughts, "Wait a second, Batman finds me attractive. Ya know, I could easily become Mrs. Batman if I really wanted to." Lois joked, "Or maybe I would be called Batwoman and we'd ride around in the Bat mobile."

Clark didn't want to give into Lois' game so he turned it on her.

"The Bat mobile was really cool actually, much better than I had expected. It drives really smooth but has a ton of power at the same time. The only thing it doesn't do is fly," he said while winking at Lois.

Lois was taken by surprise, "Are you telling me that not only did you meet Batman tonight and learn his identity, but he took you out in the Bat mobile? I can't even handle this right now, you suck big time Smallville."

Clark started laughing as he watched Lois get legitimately upset. He calmed her back down with a few words.

"Trust me, the Bat mobile has nothing on flying with me."

* * *

A few weeks had passed and it was now mid-summer time. Jonathan and Martha were busy as ever with the farm and Lois and Clark were eager to help wherever they could. Clark had decided not to cheat with his powers and instead worked side by side with Lois. Lois had never thought she would ever be the farm girl type. But now she couldn't imagine life without it. She now found herself wearing more and more flannel, even a few Louisville Cardinals t-shirts had snuck into her wardrobe. She could live like this forever and be perfectly happy, as long as she was with Clark.

Clark looked over at Lois as she scooped up a large amount of hay and tossed it into a pile. Her hair was up in a ponytail and her face was covered in sweat and dirt. She wore a better fitting version of Clark's red flannel shirt and a pair of ripped jeans which were also covered in dirt. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued scooping as Clark kept watching her. Clark didn't think he could ever fall more in love with Lois but each time he looked at her it happened again and again.

"You are so sexy, you know that?"

"You're not too bad yourself Smallville," Lois eyed his shirtless body.

They walked up to the loft and Clark told Lois sit down on the couch.

"There's something I want to talk about. It's something that I've been putting off for a while. It's something that I'm scared to do but I know it must be done. Lois, I'm going to unite the crystals tonight."

Lois's eyes widened and she sat there for a moment trying to figure out what to say next.

"No," she said.

Clark wasn't expecting that. He started to say something but Lois put her finger to his mouth.

"No, you are not uniting the crystals. WE are going to unite the crystals."

Clark was stunned, "Lois, no I can't put you in danger. I have no idea what will happen."

"Clark, I told you that you no longer had to do this by yourself. I'm all in with us, with this. I'm going to the caves with you."

Clark smiled, "There's no one else in this galaxy that I'd rather share this moment with."

They kissed and headed towards the house for dinner. They told Jonathan and Martha their plan for the night and finished up eating. Clark went back up to the loft and retrieved the three stones. He and Lois then set out for the cave.

They arrived at the cave and found the altar. Lois grabbed Clark's hand as they looked into each other's eyes, not knowing what was about to happen. Clark gently placed the stones into the altar. He looked back at Lois as a bright light exploded from the stones. Clark squeezed Lois' hand as he felt himself being pulled away from her. Her hand was finally ripped from his and everything went black. Lois woke up on the floor of the cave and looked around. Clark wasn't there.

She searched the entire cave but couldn't find him anywhere. She didn't know what to do so she returned to the farm and found Jonathan and Martha. They both embraced her as tears fell from her face.

"He's..he's gone. I don't know what happened. There was a bright light and then he just disappeared," Lois sobbed.

"Lois, everything is going to be fine. Clark has been through worse." Martha said trying to calm her down.

"How can you be so sure? What if he was transported to another planet? What if I never see him again?"

"I know my son, Lois. He will return, he always does," Jonathan said in a serious tone.

She hugged them both headed out to the driveway where she found the basketball and quietly began shooting. She slowly became calm and was able to finally think clearly. She looked up into the skies. _Where are you Clark?_

Somewhere in the arctic, Clark awoke in the snow. When he stood up, he turned around and felt the ground shaking. Just then large crystals shot up through the snow. One crystal after another exploded upwards until a large structure was finally formed. Clark walked inside and examined everything. The structure was bigger than anything he had ever seen before. He walked into the center of the structure and a familiar voice echoed.

"Welcome home my son."

* * *

Lex woke up and found himself in a bed and looked around at the new room he was in. No longer in a cell, Lex had been moved to a large bedroom. In the bedroom were a computer and a TV. On the desk laid a stack of papers titled, "Wayne Enterprises." Lex got up and walked over and began reading. Within these papers, was a list of every single employee of Wayne Enterprises. There was a whole section dedicated to the board members. Each board member had their own profile that included everything from the time they were born to the present day. Lex flipped through the stack until he came across Bruce Wayne's page. He skimmed through it, seeing nothing he didn't already know. He knew Bruce from several different events and banquets. They were competitors and Lex had a lot of respect for him and how he was able to excel in the business world.

Lex finally flipped to the next page and saw an image of what looked like some type of reactor. It was in the shape of a giant ball and was placed in the center of four huge beams. Lex read the description and learned that it was a fusion reactor capable of providing self-sustaining energy for the city. Lex was blown away by the idea. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think something like this would be achievable in his lifetime.

Just then a knock came and the door slowly opened.

"Ah, I see you have discovered your assignment," the giant masked man said.

"What is this?" questioned Lex.

"That is what is going to bring Gotham to its knees. It is a fusion reactor that we plan are turning nuclear. You're first assignment is to find us the man who is going to help us do that."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Mr. Luthor, I know of your pet projects outside of LexCorp. Did you think that nobody knew about Cadmus labs and your experimental works? You're going to find the perfect scientist and he is going to tell us how to carry out our plan."

"Why do you want to turn this thing nuclear?"

"That, you do not need to know at this time. The only thing you need to know is that once this is completed, you will be the richest and most powerful man in world."

Lex stood quiet and tried to process all of this news. _How did they know about Cadmus? Why had they chosen him? Why was he going to be given all of this power?_

"Who are you? Mr. Ducard has told me his name but you have not."

"You see unlike Mr. Ducard, I have no first or last name. I have no blood family. I am simply a mercenary, a mercenary who can be a little extreme in some eyes. My name does not matter, only my plan does. I am here to fulfill Ra's Al Ghul's destiny."

Lex froze. He had heard about someone just like this guy. He had once found a book of his father's. In this book told the story of man trapped in a prison. This man protected a child and helped the child escape. He was then beaten so badly by the other prisoners, that a specialized mask was created that had a constant flow of anesthetics and was attached to his face to help subdue the pain. This man was rescued from prison by a group called the League of Assassins. The man joined the group but was quickly kicked out for his extremism and went on to become one the world's most dangerous and wanted men. Lionel had multiple journals about this man and other men just like him.

Lex slowly turned towards the man and breathed, "Bane?"


	18. The Fortress

"Jor-El, what is this place?"

"This is your home Kal. This is your Fortress of Solitude, a replica of our planet Krypton."

"How is this possible?"

"I created this before Krypton was destroyed so that you would have a place to go, a place to train with my guidance."

"Training? What kind of training?"

"You will learn about you heritage over the next week. You will learn what happened to Krypton. You will discover the wrong choices made by our people that led to our planets downfall. I will also help you fine tune your abilities. You will need to master each of your abilities and understand when to use each one. "

Clark was then propelled in the air by Jor-El and surrounded by a force that contained Kryptonian language. It told the history of Krypton and its destruction. He told of other planets and other galaxies. He spent the next week learning everything that Jor-El had to offer.

* * *

Lois spent most of the next week in the caves by the altar, waiting for Clark to return. She brought food and newspaper articles to keep her busy but found herself staring at the altar more than anything else. Occasionally she would bring Shelby with her and the two would sit against the walls and wait together. When Lois wasn't in the cave, she was either in the loft or shooting basketball. She slept on the couch like she usually would hoping that one night Clark would join her while she slept and that she would wake up in his arms.

Chloe and Lana both spent a lot of time at the Kent farm that week to give their support to Jonathan, Martha, and Lois. Chloe was almost as upset as Lois because Clark had never disappeared like this before. She missed her best friend and prayed for his safety. Lana tried her best to keep everyone's spirits up but she was a mess herself. In the last few months, Clark had become a god to her and she didn't think it was possible that anything could ever happen to him.

* * *

"I still don't understand what my training is for."

"I once visited Earth in my younger days. I found the humans to be a good race that had the chance to become great because they yearned for it. They only lacked the light to show them the way. And that is why I have sent them you, my only son."

"Me? What am I going to do?"

"Kal-El, you will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, and they will fall. But in time they will join you in the sun. In time you will help them accomplish wonders."

"But I'm just one man."

"You aren't just anybody my son. You will be the light that shines during Earth's darkest moments. You will give the world hope when all else is lost. You will inspire others to join you Kal-El. You will learn that you are not alone and you will create something far greater than even yourself, something that will spread across the galaxy. Only you can do this. Only you will know how and what to do."

"How am I going to lead humans, when I'm an alien myself? If they found out, they would never trust me."

"Don't take what I'm telling you the wrong way Kal-El. While your Kryptonian heritage gives you your powers, it is your time spent in Smallville with Jonathan and Martha Kent and the people that surround you that make you human and the hero that you will become. But in order to become that hero, you must leave Smallville and travel the world."

"But Smallville is my home, it's been the only constant in my life."

"My son that is why it is important that you explore what the rest of the world has to offer. It is important that you understand exactly what you are going to need to protect in the future."

"What about Lois? I can't just leave her. I love her and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I can't lose her."

"You will not lose her Kal-El. She will be your strength and will keep you grounded. Do not worry about her commitment to you or yours to her. She is the only human strong enough to have such a strong bond with you. A bond stronger than anything she will ever experience. You will both complement each other and make the other better while creating a brighter future for the rest of the world. She will understand that this is part of your journey."

"Then I guess have no other choice but to leave Smallville. I will travel the world like you have asked and learn everything that I can so that I can become the hero I'm destined to be."

"Before you leave, it is important to know that you must keep your identity a secret. For one, you can't be there to help every hour of the day. You will be summoned for minor inconveniences that humans could solve themselves. Second, your enemies will go after the people you love and care about. "

"I will do my best father."

* * *

Clark left the fortress with a much clearer mind. He now knew what he needed to become and had a direction of where to go and what to do. His next step in his journey was to travel the world. He didn't know how long or how far he needed to travel. He was excited and nervous about it at the same time. The only thing he was still worried about was Lois. How was he going to tell her that he needed to leave? Even worse, how was she going to react? And how was he actually going to be able to do it. It was the only thing he could think about on his long trip back to Smallville.

It was late when Clark returned. He walked into barn and up to the loft. He stood by the window and watched the stars, trying to compose himself. He was right, he knew once he united the crystals that things would be different. But for some reason he wasn't as worried as he should have been. For some reason he had the feeling that things would work out.

He left the loft and went into the house. Everyone was already asleep. He x-rayed each room upstairs but couldn't find Lois. His parents were in their room. He found Chloe and Lana sleeping up in his room. But there was no sign of Lois. He walked into the living room and spotted her, sound asleep on the couch. He knelt down in front of her and kissed her forehead. She remained asleep but shifted her body a little, allowing enough space for Clark to squeeze in, which he did. He wrapped his arm around her and finally fell asleep for the first time in a week.

Lois was woken early in the morning by a wet sloppy kiss from Shelby.

"Shelby, seriously?"

Then she felt Clark's arm around her. She heart fluttered again, just like it did the first time they met. Clark was back and everything was going to be okay. She slowly turned so that they were now facing each other with their chests pressing against each other. Lois smiled and watched him sleep. She then rested her head on his shoulder and quietly fell back asleep.

Clark was woken by the sound of footsteps on the porch. He quickly got up, making sure not to wake Lois. He got to the door and opened. In front of him stood Oliver Queen, the billionaire who was not only in charge of Queen Industries but also Lex Corp.

"Oliver?" Clark said surprised.

"Hey Clark, I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by."

"Um…sure no problem."

Clark stepped out the door onto the porch. "What brings you out here?"

Oliver took a deep breath, "It's Lana. I've been trying to get in touch with her all week but I'm not having any luck. The last thing she said was that she was going to spend some time here at the Kent farm. I just want to see her is all."

Clark studied is face for a few seconds, "Wait, are you all…are you like dating now?"

"Before you get all protective, I just want to smooth some things over with you first."

"With me? What for?"

"Well I know you and Lana used to date. I know that you both still care about each other greatly. I can tell just by how Lana talks about you. I find it amazing that you two are able to remain such good friends. So I just wanted you to know that I have nothing but good intentions. I know everyone sees me a rich party boy but that's not who I really am deep down inside and Lana helps me see that."

"Listen Oliver, I'm perfectly fine with you dating Lana. You are right that we both care about each other. But just know that if you break her heart, I will hurt you."

Oliver started to chuckled be quickly realized Clark wasn't joking.

"Understood Clark. So is Lana here?"

"I believe she is asleep upstairs with Chloe. Wait down here and I'll go get her."

Clark went up the stairs and entered his old room where he found the two girls sleeping. He sat on the bed and shook them both awake. They both opened their eyes at the same time and saw him. Before he knew it, they lunged forward and hugged him with all their might. They each kissed his cheek and hugged him again.

"Hey, how are you all doing?"

"We're better now that we know you're safe," Lana exhaled.

"She's right, now that you're here everything is okay."

Clark looked at his two friends and smiled.

"Lana, I believe there is someone downstairs here to see you. He's kind of tall, blond hair, extremely wealthy."

"Oliver is here!?" Lana said in panic.

"He's waiting in the kitchen."

"Okay, okay you need to stall him for a minute. Chloe to the bathroom now, I need to put my make up on and get ready."

Both Chloe and Clark were a little surprised by the new bossy Lana. They exchanged glances and laughed to themselves and did what Lana had told them. Before Clark went downstairs he stopped by his parent's room and knocked on the door. Jonathan answered and gave Clark a pat on the shoulder when he saw him. Martha jumped out of the bed and into Clark's arms. He told them he was fine and for them to go back to bed for a little longer and that they would talk later.

He went downstairs and told Oliver that Lana would be down soon and then made his way back to the living room and back to Lois. He resumed his position next to Lois and wrapped his arm around her again. Her eyes slowly opened and met Clark's. She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hi," she breathed.

"Hey," he replied and kissed her forehead.

They laid on the couch for a little bit longer before they heard the commotion of Lana coming down the stairs and greeting Oliver. They got up and went into the kitchen and saw the two new love birds embrace each other. Chloe came up behind Lois and Clark and put her arms around their shoulders. Oliver and Lana left the kitchen and went on a walk. Chloe and Lois then turned their attention to Clark.

"So where exactly have you been for the past week?" Chloe blurted out.

Clark looked at them both not sure where to start.

"Clark, you were gone for a whole week without even a phone call or anything to let us know you were okay." Lois said with frustration.

"I know, let me explain what happened once the crystals united. You see I was kind of transported up to the arctic."

"The arctic? Like freezing cold and snowing arctic?" Chloe asked.

"Yes that arctic. When I woke, a giant structure rose from the ground. It was created by Jor-El back on Krypton. It's basically modeled after my planet. Jor-El called it my Fortress of Solitude and it's where I'm supposed to do all of my training, under his guidance."

Lois took a step towards him and placed a hand on his chest, "So that's what you've been doing, training? What exactly have you been training?"

"My powers , how and when to use them. I'm a lot better at flying now," he said with a chuckle. "And I picked up a new ability that I like tocall micro-vision. Basically I can see something as small as an atom. "

"You still have more powers? Have you learned them all yet?" Chloe questioned.

"I don't know yet, I could still develop more as I age. But I also learned more about my heritage and the history of my people. That took most of my time. Jor-El said I still have a long way to go."

Chloe's phone rang and walked out of the room to answer it. Lois gave Clark a kiss and then went upstairs to shower. About that time, Martha and Jonathan came down and joined Clark at the kitchen table.

"Mom, Dad, we need to talk."

"What is it Clark?" Jonathan asked.

Clark told them exactly what he had just told Chloe and Lois. He then went on to tell them what he had left out.

"Jor-El told me that I was going to change the world one day."

"You're father and I have believed that since the day you came into our lives sweetheart, what's different about this?"

"He said that I would be the light that would lead the human race into a new world age."

Lois had gotten out of the shower and was preparing to rejoin Clark. She had planned a romantic night for the two of them and couldn't wait to tell him. She headed for the stairs when she heard Clark and his parents deep in a conversation. She stopped at the top of the stairs and listened.

"But in order to fulfill my destiny, I have to leave Smallville and travel the world."

"When? How long?" Martha reached out and grabbed Clark's hand.

"I'm leaving tomorrow night and I don't really know how long I'll be gone, for a while probably."

"But what about college Clark?" Jonathan asked.

"I'll figure out that out when I get back."

"What about Lois?" Martha nodded her head upstairs.

Clark took a deep a breath, "I have to leave her mom. In order for me to become the hero I need to be, I need to leave Smallville and that means leaving Lois too."

A tear rolled down his face as Martha rushed over to console him. Lois stared into space and replayed what Clark had just said in her head. She turned and ran for her room, falling down on her bed and began crying.

"Honey, everything is going to be okay," Martha said has she rubbed Clark's back.

"I know Mom, Jor-El told me so. He said that Lois would play a big role in who I become. I just don't want to leave her, ever. This is going to be the hardest thing I'll ever do."

"Son, I'm going to tell you something that is going to be hard to hear. But leaving Lois now, will be the best thing for your future. But I have faith that you two will be okay in the long run." Jonathan kindly spoke.

Clark looked up at both of them, "It's going to be hard leaving you two as well. I don't know how I'm going to do it all on my own. I still you need both."

"Your mother and I knew this day would come Clark. We knew that one day you would have to go off on your own and discover yourself. Our only concern was that we did everything we could to prepare you. I know you're beginning to embrace your Kryptonian heritage. But there's one thing you must do, always remember Smallville."

Clark hugged both of his parents and went outside to shoot basketball. He wasn't sure when the next time he'd get to do this would be. Shelby came outside with him and bumped the ball back to Clark each time he shot. His complete focus was on Lois and how he was going to tell her. Just then Lois walked up. He looked at her face and could tell she had been crying.

"Lois, what's wrong?"

She said nothing but instead ran into his arms and sobbed into his chest. Clark didn't know what was going on but he held her tight until she calmed. He lifted her head up and peered into her eyes.

"When are you leaving?" she finally asked.


	19. Just Forget the World

Clark held Lois in his arms and stared into her beautiful hazel eyes.

"Oh Lois, I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how."

"I overheard you talking to your parents," she said between sniffles.

He kissed her forehead. " You have to understand that it's just something I have to do. Jor-El said that it is important that I do this. You have to believe that I don't want to leave you. If I could, I would take you with me. But this is something I must do on my own. And you need to pave your own way in this world Ms. Lane, because you will go on to do great things. You will make the world a better place. I believe that we are both destined to change the world together. "

Lois smiled at those last few words. Here she was in the arms of the most powerful man on the planet, the best thing that has ever happened to her and the world, and he was concerned about her. He wanted her to focus on her future. She fell in love with him all over again, like she had many times before.

She nodded her head and joked, "The Daily Planet doesn't even know what's about to hit them."

Clark laughed and cried at the same time. A small part of him wanted to run away with her and forget everything else. But he knew Lois would never let him do that. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

She closed her eyes at the touch of his lips on her skin. She then rested her head on his chest and held on to him for dear life. A small part of her never wanted to let go of him.

"I have to leave tomorrow night Lois. I know it's really soon but I hope you understand."

"I do Clark. I know you have a bigger purpose than Smallville. The world needs you more than I do." She pulled away from him, "I'm willing to put aside my selfish desires. I will always love you Clark. And if tomorrow is our last day together then I want to make it count."

"Lois what are you talking about? Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean things between us are over."

"Clark, we might as well go ahead and face this now. Time apart will only make us grow apart. I know from experience. We won't be the same people when you get back and our feelings will have changed."

Clark tried to speak but Lois cut him off.

"I think that it's smart that we go ahead and accept it for what it is. I just want to tell you that you changed my life more than you can ever know. Not only did you inspire me to finish high school, but you helped me realize what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have hope that I will be somebody and that I will succeed in whatever I do. The first day I met you, you changed everything for me. You inspired me to be better, to want more, and you made me fall in love with you. It's something that no one can ever take away from me. I don't care if I'm never as happy again because I will at least know that true happiness and love does exist. And I know that you are out there, protecting the world."

Clark stood there unable to move. His had a huge lump in his throat. He never expected Lois to react this way. He needed to stop her before she convinced herself that she was making the right decision. She needed to know what he knew. Jor-El had told him that she would be the key for him to become the light for the world.

"Lois, I don't think you understand. You are it for me. You are my other half. I might have to leave you physically but I will always be with you. We might change sure, but we will change together and for the better. "

"Clark, I can't be the one to hold you back. You have so much potential in this world. I don't want to be the one who stops you from being the hero that you will need to be. So I'm willing to let you go in order to protect everyone." Another tear rolled down her face.

"Lois, I love you for being that kind of person and I know that I never get to say this, but you're wrong."

Her face suddenly became puzzled.

Clark smiled and placed a hand on her cheek, "You will be the reason why I become so great. You make me stronger. You make everything worth it. I want someone that I can come home to and share my entire self with. There's no one else that I can do that with. It's you, it always has been. You just have to believe in us. I know you initially thought that letting me go was the right thing to do. But you just have to trust me on this."

"But how is this going to work? I'll go off to college with Chloe and you'll be who knows where. How I am supposed to live not knowing where you are?"

"I think you are forgetting something extremely important."

Lois narrowed her eyes at him, "And what's that?"

"I'm kind of super, I can visit just about any time if I want to. Plus you know, technology today makes things a lot easier to communicate with people across the world. We'll be in constant contact. I'll make sure of it."

"Clark, I want to believe everything you are telling me. But things just don't work that way. Long distance relationships never work."

"I think that only counts for humans, which if you haven't noticed, I am not. I think we are the exception, the ones who will break all the barriers. Lois and Clark are going to be just fine. If you truly love me, which I know you do, then you will just have to have faith. I have a special day planned for us tomorrow and then you will see what I am talking about."

Lois tried to argue her point but Clark put his finger to her lips, silencing her. He picked her up and carried her up to loft. He laid her on the couch. She tried to speak again but he shut her up with a deep, passionate kiss. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the kiss. In that moment, they both forgot about everything else and just focused on each other.

Clark hadn't planned on this part, it just happened naturally. They undressed each other and fell back onto the couch. Clark was nervous and scared but confident at the same time. He had never felt this way before. He had been waiting to give his whole self to Lois and the moment had finally come. He breathed heavily as she kissed his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. He hesitated to touch her as he wasn't sure if he would be able to control his abilities in the heat of the moment.

Lois couldn't believe that they were finally getting to this step. She had spent years feeling vulnerable and scared to share herself with anybody. But Clark had made her feel more comfortable than ever before. She was a little nervous and scared as well but she could tell Clark felt the same way. She stopped and grabbed Clark's face and stared into his eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too Lois."

* * *

Clark woke a few hours later still lying against Lois. He got up and walked over the window and gazed at the stars through his telescope. He looked into the distance as he wondered what was out there waiting for him. Today would be his last day in Smallville for a long time. He was about to leave everything he had known. He thought about his parents, Chloe, Lana, and even Lex. It killed him that he still hadn't found out where Lex was. His thoughts went back to the girl sleeping on his couch. Leaving her was now going to be harder than ever before. He needed some way or something to give her to show her that everything would be okay.

Lois woke and spotted Clark by the window. She smiled and got up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and kissed his back.

"Everything okay Smallville?"

Clark turned and faced her, "Yeah, yeah I'm okay. Just thinking that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, come on. Let's lay back down. I just want to spend tonight with you and not think about anything else."

"Okay."

He smiled at her and led her back to the couch where she fell back asleep in his arms. Clark stayed awake and watched her sleep. He savored every moment that she laid in his arms. He burned this memory and feeling into his brain so that he'd have it when he wasn't with her. He focused on her heart beat and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Louie appeared sitting on the telescope. Clark smiled at his old friend. Louie flew over and landed on the desk. Clark raised an eyebrow as he watched Louie walk around his desk. The bird finally stopped above one of the drawers and looked over at Clark. Clark got up again and walked over to the desk and pulled the drawer open. When he looked inside, he saw the exact object that would be perfect to give to Lois. He smiled and looked back up at the bird.

"I don't know how you do it Louie," laughed Clark.

* * *

The next morning everyone sat down at the table as Martha had prepared a huge breakfast. Jonathan and Chloe sat next to each other, engaged in a deep conversation about the governor of Kansas. Lana and Oliver were sitting, holding hands and discussing a summer trip to the Bahamas. Lois and Clark went over and helped Martha bring the food over. They ate and told stories of their trip to Gotham. Oliver told everyone his desire to get out of the business industry and do something different with his life. Jonathan told him that he was welcome in their house anytime and that if he needed anything at all, he and Martha would be ready. Clark sat there and observed his family. He was happy to have them all in his life.

Chloe took control of the spotlight to share her next assignment with the Daily Planet and brought up the idea of Clark and Lois spending an extended period of time in the city with her. Clark looked down at the table as Lois and his parents both shot a glance at him. Clark looked up at Chloe and stood up.

"Chloe, can we go for a walk?"

Puzzled, Chloe nodded her head, "Sure Clark."

They walked out of the house and headed down the driveway.

"What's going on ? You're acting strange. So are you're parents and Lois."

Clark took a deep breath. He had to tell his best friend that he was also leaving her too. "Listen Chloe, you know how I talked to Jor-El and learned a lot from him this past week?"

"Yeah."

"Well I also learned that I need to go on a journey and experience the rest of the world. Chloe, I have to leave Smallville."

"What do you mean leave Smallville? For how long?"

"I don't know exactly, for a while at least."

Chloe's eyes watered as the feelings began to hit her. "Oh Clark. You can't leave, not now. What I am I going to do without you? And better yet what are you going to do without me?"

Clark chuckled, there was the Chloe he knew. "Everything is going to be okay Chloe, I promise. I'll be back before you know it. By then you'll be a big reporter for the Daily Planet and it will be I who will be admiring you. Just go easy on everyone else please."

Chloe laughed and hugged him. "I'm going to worry about you every day you are gone. You're my best friend Clark Kent and that will never change."

"You're my best friend too Chloe Sullivan. And I'm going to need my best friend to take care of my girlfriend. I know she's strong but she's going to need you when I can't be there."

"Lois and I are going to be fine and so are you. You better keep me updated on your adventures. And who knows maybe if you write a couple articles and send them to the Planet, you might actually get published."

Clark hadn't even thought of that idea. "Chloe, that's a wonderful idea. Do me a favor and don't tell Lois. I want her to be surprised."

Chloe smiled and hugged him again as they headed back inside. Clark then took Lana out on a horse ride and told her everything. She cried and pleaded with Clark not to leave her. She explained how his presence allowed her to be herself and give others a chance. His friendship had become everything that she had hoped it would and she didn't want to lose that. Clark reminded her that she still had Chloe, Lois, and his parents. He also reminded her of a tall, blond billionaire who had captured her heart.

Lana and Oliver later left the farm and headed back to Metropolis. Clark said his goodbyes to his new friend Oliver and explained that he had just been offered a last minute opportunity to study abroad. Oliver wished him luck and told him if he needed anything, just give him a phone call.

Clark then focused the rest of the day on Lois. He took her flying around the area. He showed her a lot of his old favorite places and told her stories about many of his early saves during the first few years of high school. Lois asked a lot of questions about each save and Clark was more than happy to share with her. He brought her back to the farm and told her to get her coat. She started to question it but rolled her eyes and went to get it. Clark hurried up to the loft and retrieved the object from the drawer.

"Where are we going Smallville? And why do I need my coat, it's the middle of the summer?"

"Where we're going Lois, you're going to need it."

He took her to the cave and put the key in the altar as both were transported to the fortress. Clark set Lois down as she walked around in amazement.

"Oh my god Clark, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It's like heaven."

"I wanted to show you this before I left. I felt that you needed to experience this place and hopefully it will help you understand that we are going to be fine."

"Clark I love you for bringing me here. I don't really know what to say other then you've have blown me away again. Just when I think you can't be more amazing, you do this. I love you so much and it only makes harder to accept that you have to leave."

He grabbed her hand and reached into his pocket and pulled out the object. Her eyes lit up as Clark held it in front of her.

"What is it?" She said with a gigantic smile.

"Remember how I told you about Kyla Willowbrook?This is a special bracelet given to me by her father."

Lois remembered Clark telling her about Kyla and her connection to Kawatche caves.

"It's beautiful Clark."

"Kyla's father told me to give it the one who I was destined to be with and that's you Lois. I want you to have this bracelet so that you have a piece of me everywhere you go. Whenever you begin to feel lost or scared, just put the bracelet on and I'll be right there with you."

Once again Clark Kent had left Lois Lane speechless. Tears fell down her face again. Clark reached down and wiped the tears and smiled as lost his self in her hazel eyes. She shot up and kissed him, grabbing his face, pulling it into hers as they slowly floated in the air.


	20. Coast City

Clark and Lois made their way back to the farm where Clark said his final goodbyes to Lois, Chloe, and his parents. Jonathan hugged his son and offered his last bit of advice. Martha was a wreck and couldn't let go of Clark. Jonathan had to pretty much yank his wife off of her son. Clark, meanwhile, walked over to the basketball hoop. A ball hit him in the butt and he turned around to see Lois picking the ball up. She raised her head and winked at him. He smiled and nodded his head at the basket.

"One last game of one-on-one?" Clark asked.

"Smallville, I'd hate to send you packing with a loss but I think you're asking for it."

"Oh really? Well let's just see about that."

She passed him the ball and they started playing. They went back and forth, both having a ball. They didn't even keep score, they just played. The game ended when Clark dunked the ball and accidentally ripped the rim off the basket. Lois fell to ground laughing as she held her stomach. She was in tears after seeing the look on Clark's face when he had finally realized what he did.

"What the…well I've never done that before," he chuckled.

Lois was still laughing, "The look on your face was so priceless honey. But how am I going to shoot now without a rim?" She busted out laughing again.

Clark gave her a sarcastic smirk before quickly repairing the goal. "Laugh it up Lois, go ahead."

"I'm sorry but even with all of your powers, you'll still always be that goofy farm boy to me."

Clark smiled, "I will, won't I?"

* * *

They shared their final kiss before Clark grabbed his backpack which had a couple of items, including a couple of notebooks, a laptop, and a couple changes of clothes. Clark then headed for the bus station as he planned to spend most of trip not using any of his abilities unless necessary. He headed west with his first destination being California. After a few days of travel and multiple stops in different cities, including Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Clark finally made it to Coast City.

He had chosen Coast City because of the wonderful beaches it offered and it was a spot Chloe had suggested visiting before. As the bus pulled into town, it passed the Edwards Air Force Base. Clark watched as two jets took off and disappeared into the sky. The idea of planes and particularly jets still fascinated him even though he could now fly. He was obsessed with them as a kid and that hadn't changed. He got off the bus and entered the nearest café for some food. While in line, he accidently bumped into a young woman who consequently dropped her coffee, which spilled all over the floor.

"Oh I'm so sorry miss, here let me get some paper towels and clean that up. And I'll pay for a new coffee."

The woman looked up at Clark furious but her expression changed when she finally got a good look at him.

"Oh it's okay, really, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Well I'm still going to pay for your coffee, if you'll let me."

"Okay, I can't pass that offer up." She studied him as he began wiping the floor up. "You're not from around here are you?"

"No, I'm from Kansas."

"Kansas? What brings you all the way out here?"

"I guess you could say that I'm just doing a little site seeing."

"Well if you'd like, you can join me over here as I drink my coffee and I can fill you in on all the good spots."

"That sounds great, what's your name?"

"Carol Ferris."

"Nice to meet you Carol, I'm Clark Kent."

"It's nice to meet you Clark. I'm sitting just over here."

Clark cleaned up the mess and bought two coffees and joined Carol at her table. They talked about the main tourist attractions in Coast City and Carol provided Clark with a map. Clark then explained how he had just graduated high school and wanted to do some traveling before college. He then asked Carol what she did.

"Well, I'm still in college but I'm training to become an officer in the Air Force. My father owns Ferris Aircraft, Inc. and I hope to someday follow in his footsteps."

"That's impressive Carol and quite the career path. I can tell you're going to do great."

"Thanks Clark, I don't hear that too often so I really appreciate. You're really, really nice you know that? I don't know too many guys like you. Actually I don't know any like you. This might seem a little awkward but you don't have a girlfriend do you?"

Clark blushed, he had noticed how attractive Carol was with her dark black hair and green eyes.

"I do actually, back home."

"Well she certainly has herself a good one," she winked at Clark.

"What about you Carol, you're a beautiful young woman, I'm sure you have somebody."

"Not at the current moment. There's someone that I've been on and off again with since I can remember. We were childhood friends turned romantic lovers. Now I don't even know what we are. He now works for my dad as a test pilot. I think I love him but he just hasn't quite grown up yet. He's still a little cocky but I'm hopeful someday he'll grow out of it."

"Something tells me he will, he would be stupid not to."

Carol smiled, "Here I want to give you my card, in case you're ever in Coast City again." She then noticed Clark's uneasy look, "But just as a friend. I don't really allow myself to open up this much but I seem to with you. I don't know why but you really seem like a good guy and if you're ever in the city again, please call me so we can get together again."

"That would be awesome. I definitely will Carol, thank you so much. If you're ever in the Metropolis area, I won't be hard to reach. You've got a friend in the Midwest if you ever need it if that's okay?"

"Of course it is Clark, I would like that very much."

He got up to leave as she walked him out and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye Clark, have a safe rest of your trip."

"Bye Carol, thanks again."

* * *

Clark spent the rest of the day walking around the city. It was a beautiful place with many advanced and futuristic looking buildings. The people were very relaxed and laid back. Most were friendly and acknowledged Clark as they passed by. He was having a conversation with an elderly woman about one of the structures when suddenly another lady screamed. Clark looked over at her as she pointed to the sky. Clark looked up and saw a jet spinning out of control and crashing towards the city.

He snuck behind a building and made sure no one was looking before he shot up into the sky. He made his way to the spinning jet pretty quickly and grabbed a hold of one of the wings. This was something unlike Clark had ever encountered. It was the first test at using his strength and his flight at the same time. He worked first on balancing the plane level. Once he did that he pushed the plane back up in the air and away from the city before landing it in a field just on the outskirts of town. He left quickly and then returned to make it look like he just got there. He climbed on top of the jet and found the pilot passed out in his seat. Clark pulled him out and set him on the ground and waited for him to wake up. The pilot finally woke up a few minutes later a little dazed and confused.

"Wh-what happened?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, I saw your plane head this way and ran over here as fast as I could. I found your plane here and pulled you out of the cockpit." Clark lied.

"But how did I land? The last thing I remember is an explosion and then I was spinning out of control. I should have died."

"Well it's a miracle you didn't sir."

"Thank you for coming to my aid, my name is Hal Jordan."

"I'm Clark Kent," he responded a grasped Hal's extended hand.

"Thanks again Clark."

"So you said there was explosion? Like engine failure?" Clark questioned.

"I don't think so, I'm experienced pilot and I would have noticed if something was wrong. Before the explosion everything was perfectly fine. I was just about to finish testing this new piece of aircraft out."

Clark walked around the jet and examined it. He looked at both engines towards the rear and noticed a small damaged device.

"What's this?" he asked.

Hal walked around to where Clark was, "I'm not sure but it kind of looks like where an explosive used to be. Did somebody try to blow the plane up?"

"I'm not sure Hal but I don't think this was an accident, that's for sure."

By this time the police and fire trucks could be heard as they closed in on the aircraft. The first officers came over asked both Hal and Clark if they were okay and then marked off the area with caution tape. Clark and Hal sat on the back of an ambulance discussing what or who could have done this. At that moment a military jeep rolled up. Stepping out was the very familiar face of General Sam Lane. Clark panicked for a moment but had nowhere to go so he sat there and acted as if he hadn't seen the General. He had no clue what to tell him. The General walked towards them and was accompanied by a woman. It was Carol.

"Hal Jordan, I swear if you caused this happen, it will more than likely be the end of your career son," Sam barked. His eyes then fell on Clark. He rubbed his eyes and did a double take. "Clark? What the hell are you doing here?"

"General Lane, hi. Um, well I'm on kind of on a trip and just happened to see Hal's jet come down in this area and rushed over to help."

"He's right Sam, he got here and pulled me out. I might be dead if it wasn't for him."

Sam felt a little bit of pride hearing Clark's heroics. Maybe his daughter had chosen well after all. "Well I'm glad to see you've finally decided to get off that farm and do something in this world Clark."

Clark smiled, "I guess so."

Carol then walked up, "Hal what happened? Clark? What are you doing here?"

Hal and Clark explained to her exactly the same as they had just done with General. Sam left them to talk with the investigators and the medics finally arrived to check Clark and Hal out and when both were cleared they joined Carol in the jeep. She took them both back to the base and then out to eat.

"So Clark how do you know Carol?" Hal asked.

"Well we just met today actually. I accidentally knocked her coffee to the ground. She then helped me find some places to visit while I'm town."

"Oh really? That's fun." He said while shooting a glance at Carol who was looking at Clark. "And a little cliché," He added, suddenly became a little threaten by Clark.

"So Hal, how long have you and Carol known each other?" Clark asked, breaking the little tension that was there.

"I've known Carol since we were kids. We've managed to stay in each other's lives in some form ever since."

Clark looked over at Carol who nodded. This was the guy she was talking about in the café.

"That's incredible that you've stayed together for so long."

"So do you have a girlfriend Clark? Because I don't want Carol here to get the wrong idea."

Carol almost choked on her Pepsi.

Clark quickly answered, "Yes I do. Her name is Lois."

"That's funny, General Lane's daughter is named Lois. He was just talking about her a while ago," Carol commented.

Clark smiled, "Yeah that's her."

This time both Carol and Hal spit their drinks out.

"Lois Lane? You're dating Sam Lane's daughter?" Hal managed to finally get out.

Clark nodded his head as Hal busted out laughing while also showing a little sorrow for Clark. "I was wondering how Sam knew you."

"So you're telling me that the girl you told me about earlier, who you're head over hills in love with is Sam Lane's daughter? Talk about a small world," She said in disbelief.

"Well Clark I must say that I have an all new kind of respect for you. Anyone brave enough to date Sam Lane's daughter and survive deserves a medal of honor or something," joked Hal.

Carol punched Hal in the shoulder, similar to how Lois used to punch him, and scoffed at him.

"It's not that bad Hal, plus if anybody can survive its Clark here."

They spent the rest of the evening sharing stories about the General, memories of their childhood, and what they both wanted in the future.

"If you ask me, you two are perfect for each other," snuck in Clark.

"Maybe if he ever grows up." Carol rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you love my immaturity." Hal shot back.

Clark could tell they had a real connection and he could also tell that there was something very special about Hal, he just didn't know what yet. After they finished eating, they drove Clark to the bus stop and saw him off. Clark watched as they got back in the jeep and continued their banter, reminding him of how he and Lois acted sometimes. The thought of Lois made him smile and he opened his phone and sent her a text.

_Leaving Coast City, made some friends. Also saw your Dad. Anyways I think I'm heading down south to Mexico. I'll talk to you in the morning, love you."_


	21. Old Friends

The next month, Clark spent exploring the country of Mexico. He had learned a decent amount of Spanish fairly quickly as he traveled from the west coast to the east coast. He then made his way to Mexico City. Here he found a completely different culture. Realizing he wasn't in Kansas anymore, he took the time to sit and observe the new surrounding and the people within it. He studied the children as they ran around the streets, kicking soccer balls around. He chuckled to himself as he noticed the look of pure joy on their faces. After watching the children play for a while he noticed a few women sitting down by one of the buildings nearby, occasionally shouting at the kids whenever they began playing too aggressively. Further down the building were several tents with fresh foods placed on tables. A large crowd had gathered around it causing traffic to back up. Clark felt the need to do something but the situation seemed to work itself out rather quickly as people slowly made enough room for cars to move back and forth.

In the afternoon, Clark made his way into the heart of the city. He had planned on visiting one of the famous cathedrals and was almost there when he saw a baby crawling in the middle of a busy intersection. Without a second thought, he super sped towards the infant but as he neared, a flash crossed in front of him and saved the child. Clark followed in pursuit and the flash headed down the street and stopped in an alley way. Clark stopped a little down the road when he realized who it was.

"Bart! Long time no see!"

"What going on bro? What brings you down to this beautiful city?" Bart replied with a huge grin.

"I'm just doing a little traveling; I never expected to run into to you. I'm glad to see your using your speed for good."

"Yeah Clark, I have you to thank for that. You set me straight and gave me the butt kicking I needed. I figured I could help and I found that it actually felt good."

"That's awesome Bart. So what have you been up?"

"Well, I just had this awesome burrito. You need to try it man, it's out of this world."

"Maybe another time."

"But really, I've just been running around. Second time I've been in Mexico City today. Might come back later tonight if I feel like it."

"You should stop by my folks place next time you're around Smallville. They would love it if you visited."

"Thanks for the offer bro, I just might have too. How's your friend Chloe doing?"

"She's doing wonderful, she just starting dating someone actually."

"Well good for her. Anyways Clark, I gotta jet, you don't want to come do you?"

"Not this time Bart, I'm on a journey of my own. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around though."

"No problem, I'm sure you couldn't keep up anyways."

Clark smiled, "Bart, things are a little different now."

"How so? You didn't get faster somehow did you?"

"How about a little race Bart?"

"Are you sure you can handle the defeat?" Bart joked.

"Let's see who can handle what. On your mark…get set…go!"

They both took off, weaving through the city and were quickly out in the more rural parts of the city. Clark was actually running faster than he ever had before and was keeping right up with Bart. Bart looked over his shoulder and laughed before kicking in his afterburners and ran away from Clark. When Bart looked back again, Clark wasn't there. He thought for a second that he had actually ran so much faster that Clark wasn't in visible distance. Then suddenly something tapped Bart on the head. He looked up and saw Clark flying just above him. Clark winked and then accelerated forward, breaking the sound barrier and disappeared. Bart immediately stopped and covered his mouth. Clark slowed and flew back and landed in front of Bart.

"What the fu-you've got to be kidding me," Bart said in amazement.

Clark laughed, "So who's faster than who now?"

"That's cheating man, what the hell can't you do?"

"Beat you in a foot race is about the only thing I can think of."

"True, I still got that but you can fly. You're a super dude Clark."

They said goodbye and headed in separate directions after that. It was nice for Clark to see one of his super powered old friends. His phone rang as Lois' voice could be heard on the other side. She had finished her first day of college and was already coming up with a plan on how to take over her journalism class because the teacher was a complete 'moron' and couldn't write an article if someone laid one out right in front of him. Clark laughed as he listened to Lois' rant.

"You are one of kind Ms. Lane."

"Don't you forget it Smallville."

* * *

Lex sat at a long table in a giant hall. He looked around and observed each individual seated around him. First, there was the giant masked man, Bane. Beside Bane was a man called the Sensei. To his right was a man who went by the name Dr. Moon. Next to him was a woman, Sandra Woodson who was an expert in martial arts. Beside her was David Cain, another expert assassin. Across the table sat a separate group. Lex later learned they were called _The Seven Men of Death. _They included a man who specialized in demolition, three men who were advanced in hand to hand combat, a man called Razorburn who used knives for his weapons, a woman whose specialty was using whips in combat, and then a gentlemen known as Merlyn who had the reputation as the deadliest archer in the world. At the end of the table sat Henri Ducard and to his left was a woman who Lex recognized as Miranda Tate, the woman he had had a meeting with the night of his father's murder and his abduction.

Henri stood up and addressed the group.

"Thank you all for joining me here today. Today marks the beginning of a new era. Together we will create a new world, one that is balanced from top to bottom. We will be working hand in hand with each other to accomplish many goals in the near future. Most of you have been with us for years but we have gained a few in numbers. For those who are new, welcome to the League of Shadows."

Lex couldn't believe what he had just heard. Something jogged his memory and he remembered hearing about this league in his childhood from his father. He thought they were only a myth but here he was sitting right in the middle of one of their meetings.

"To get things started I would like to introduce a new member who is going to be vital in our most important mission. Lex Luthor, here, is going to help us finish off Gotham City once and for all. He will return to his old life and seize control of Wayne Enterprises, giving us complete control. Mr. Luthor, would you like to address the group?"

Lex cleared his throat, "Good evening everyone. After many discussions with Mr. Ducard, I have decided to assist you all in your cause. I will do as I'm asked and your mission will be completed this time. In order to do that, I will need to regain control of my own company. I need Oliver Queen to disappear," stated Lex with a fiery passion that captivated the league's attention.

"I believe that can be arranged Mr. Luthor," replied Henri. "On to our next topic of business; our next target. There is a small island located within the Greek islands called Themyscira, or Paradise Island as its natives call it. It is time to begin making the proper preparations. In six months, we will attack."

* * *

Four months had passed as Clark headed further south towards South America. Along the way he had met many different kinds of people. He traveled with a small group through the Amazon forest. Here he found a community that was completely shut off from the outside world. He learned from one of the others in the group that these people had never had any contact with any other people and that they were not to interfere. The group instead watched from a distance on a hill that looked down on the community. Clark couldn't even imagine not knowing that there was a whole world out there. But a small part of him was happy for these people because they would never have to experience all the bad things that do exist on the planet.

After another month, he had made it to Buenos Aires. He liked the city and the life it had. What he liked most about it was the cell reception. After three weeks of not being able to contact Lois, he was finally able to call her. Once he did, he got all caught up on what Lois had been up to. She had already gotten an internship at the Daily Planet and was quickly working her way up the food chain. Clark told her about his adventures through the Amazon forest. They talked for about an hour when suddenly Clark heard Lois gasp.

"Lois what is it?"

"Oh my god Clark, it's Oliver. He's missing. It's all over the news channels now."

"What? What do you mean missing?"

"Just a second…okay it says that he went missing when his boat wrecked somewhere near the Philippines. Clark, I need to call Lana a.s.a.p. I'll talk to you later, love you."

Clark hung up the phone still trying to figure out what was going on. He called Chloe but she couldn't give him much more than what Lois had told him. She did tell him that Oliver's body hadn't been found but he was believed to be dead. Clark couldn't believe it. In his last few weeks in Smallville, he was really beginning to like Oliver and hoped they could become friends in the future. Clark carried on his journey while constantly getting updates from Lois and Chloe. He found a boat and crew looking for an extra member to help them travel across the Atlantic. Clark volunteered and he set off with the crew out into the blue horizon.

A week had passed and the crew began preparing for a bad storm that was heading their way. When the storm finally hit, the crew battled the waves as the boat was tossed around the water. Clark did everything he could to keep the boat a float without using any of his powers. Finally one last giant wave crashed onto the boat, capsizing it. Clark began to quickly swim through water to save the men who had begun sinking. But as he went after the first member, a rush of energy surged through the water and hit Clark, sending him backwards, out of the water and landing about 500 feet away. Clark had no idea what had done that to him. He went back under the water and searched for anything he could fine but there wasn't much visibility. He came back up above water level and looked over and saw that all the men had made it back to boat which had been flipped back upright. Each member made their way inside to change into dry clothes.

Clark started to swim towards boat when another surge of energy travels through the water and hit him, but when it sent him up in to air he was able to gain control and float mid-air above the water. When he looked back down he saw his old friend, Arthur Curry.

"Whoa brah, that's gnarly! Since when have you been able to do that?"

Clark smiled, "A.C. long time no see, how's everything going?"

"Everything is going good, what brings you out here Clark?"

"I'm on a little trip of my own, you know just doing some exploring. I never thought I would see you in this area of the water."

"Well believe it or not, I've gotten even faster underwater and I'm covering more and more of the majority of the Earth. I even found my home, Atlantis. It's been an amazing experience so far and I have you to thank for that. You helped me focus on the things most important to me and how to do things the right way."

"I'm glad to hear that A.C. You're making the waters safer every day. Thanks for taking care of that too," Clark nodded towards the boat.

"No problem brah, it's just my way of life now."

"That's awesome. We should hang out some-"

Clark suddenly stopped as a voice rang throughout his head. He covered his ears as the voice got louder. He heard yelling and screaming mixed with what sounded like explosions. At first Clark thought it was his super hearing on the fritz but he soon realized that it was in his head. And then he learned that the voice wasn't coming from this planet. He looked up into the sky as the stormy clouds slowly disappeared and he was able to finally understand to next two words, "_Help me!" _Clark shot up out of the water without saying bye and for the first time, headed for outer space.


	22. Mars

Tess Mercer entered the conference room at Luthor Corp full of desire and ambition. She had spent years working her way up the Luthor Corp ladder making sacrifice after sacrifice and had finally made it to the top with the disappearance of Oliver Queen. The board members, as well as the press, were waiting patiently for the newest CEO to take control of the company. Both Chloe and Lois were sent to help cover the event as part of their internship. They sat in the back of the room, completely uninterested in what Tess had to say. Tess commanded the room's attention with her fiery green eyes and luscious red hair and greeted each member with a handshake and stepped up to the podium ready to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tess Mercer and I am your new CEO. I want to assure you that I'm looking to build and expand the Luthor Corp name not only here in the states, but across the world. We have the people here in place to do such a thing and I'm very excited to get started."

Everyone clapped as Tess smiled. Suddenly the doors burst open and a man came marching through and headed straight for the podium. Everyone gasped as they saw who the man was, Lex Luthor. He ignored the press as they suddenly began shouting and taking pictures. Lois and Chloe weren't paying attention until they noticed how noisy it had gotten.

"What the hell is going on Chlo? I guess Tess really wowed everybody." Lois rolled her eyes. Then she heard a different voice speak through the mic.

"I would like to thank you all for gathering here today." Lex began.

Lois and Chloe both looked at each other in shock.

"I'm sure most of you have been wondering where I've been. Well as I'm sure you can understand, with the death of my father, I needed to get away to deal with my grief and go somewhere I wouldn't be constantly bothered. But my grieving is over and I'm back for good and ready to start a brighter future. I would like to thank Tess Mercer for stepping up and taking care of the company. She will remain CEO and will be my most trusted adviser. I would also like to announce today, before all of you, that I will be running for the senate in the next election. My name will be on the ballot and I promise you that I will win."

Lex then smoothly left the podium and exited the room as the press followed shouting and trying to stop him. When he got outside, a black car pulled up and picked Lex up and drove off in a hurry. Chloe and Lois headed back to the Daily Planet to start writing. Lois dialed Clark but it wouldn't ring. She began to worry a little bit but glanced down at her wrist and looked at the bracelet and smiled. She knew Clark was okay.

She sat at her desk and began typing away. She was determined to get the first interview with Lex Luthor after his return. She was so busy in her work that she hadn't noticed the man standing in front of her desk, patiently waiting.

"That's a sentence fragment right there. And you need some punctuation on the third line."

Before Lois looked she blurted out, "Who called the grammar police?" Her eyes made their way to the man and her mouth opened wide. It was Bruce Wayne.

"Bruce? What are you doing here? I mean how are you?"

"I'm doing good Lois. How are you and Clark?"

"We're doing just fine, thanks. What brings you to the basement of the Daily Planet?"

"Well, I have a favor to ask?"

"Anything, what is it?"

"I would like for you to interview Lex Luthor. I can arrange it so that you get the very first meeting with him."

"Really? Why me?"

"Because you are a special reporter Lois, and I know I can trust you."

"Sure! I was planning on getting that interview anyways so no big deal. Anything specific you need me to find out?"

"You have full control on the questions, I just need him to be preoccupied for a little bit. I know I can count on the wonderful Lois Lane to get the job done, right?" he winked.

"You got it Mr. Wayne," Lois smiled.

* * *

Clark flew through the clouds towards where the sound was coming from. As he got higher, the louder the sound was. Before he knew it, he was out of the atmosphere and between the Earth and the moon. He stopped and turned to face the mostly blue planet. He couldn't believe where he was. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he was capable of this but something told him this wasn't half of it. Suddenly the voice came back in his head and led him deeper into space, past the moon. He felt himself going faster and faster as he moved through space faster than he ever had before. In the distance he saw a planet. He knew from his obsession with astronomy that the planet had to be Mars. As he got closer, he saw a bunch of movement and realized that there was something on the planet.

As Clark entered the planet's atmosphere, he saw a great flash of light and then it disappeared. There were thousands of structures, which Clark guessed were homes, which had been destroyed to ruble. He landed in the middle of a pile of dead green bodies. Clark was horrified by the scene he had found. He looked around; searching for anything but there was no longer movement anywhere. He listened for the voice but heard nothing. There were structures on fire all around. Clark knew something horrible had just happened here. He took to the air again and began surveying the area looking for any survivors. When he had given up all hope for finding someone, he heard the voice again and flew as fast as he could towards it. Using his x-ray vision, he found a barely moving body buried under the ruble. Clark quickly pulled the rocks off and picked up the body. When the being came to consciousness, Clark asked if he was okay.

"Hello? Hello? Can you understand me? Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes I can. Thank you, Kal-El."

Clark stopped and stared at him, "How do you know my name?"

"I knew you're father Jor-El, he was a friend of mine. It was his last wish that I look out for you and that is exactly what I've done. I've spent a lot of time on Earth and have a kept an eye on you from a distance."

"But who are you? You're not human, is this your home?"

"Yes, this is my home. My name is J'onn J'onzz. I can shape shift into any form I choose and have been able to blend in to the human population and keep an eye on you Kal-el."

"I don't understand. I didn't even know there was life on Mars, how have humans not discovered this?"

"There have been times when your planet has come close but we made an effort to keep you all in the dark in fear of your planets safety."

"How were you able to contact me? It was like you were in my head."

"I have the gift of telepathy. I can normally read minds but yours is different, I was only able to send you a message for help which I'm glad you responded to."

"So what happened here?"

J'onn looked around and stared at the scene of destruction surrounding him. "My brother Ma'alefa'ak released a telepathic virus on our citizens which greatly weakened them. I was away on manhunter duties, or police work in human terms, when the virus was released. When I returned, everyone was sick and losing control over our greatest fear, fire. Shortly after we were attacked by a force greater than anything I have ever encountered. An army led by a man called General Zod."

"Zod? Where is this Zod from?"

"Kal-El, he is from you home planet, Krypton."

"What? How is that possible? Krypton exploded."

"Zod was not on Krypton at the time. He and his army had been sent to a prison designed by your father, after he tried to take over Krypton. Somehow, he escaped and has been jumping from galaxy to galaxy and destroying anything that has gotten in his way. He will pop up on a planet in one galaxy and then transport to another."

"J'onn, I have so many questions."

"I know you do Kal-El but right now is not the time. I have to leave and find out where he went or where he's going next. There are more lives at stake."

"But what about here?"

"There's nothing left for me here," J'onn said in sorrow.

"You had a family didn't you?"

"Yes, a wife and daughter. I watched them die before my eyes. I wasn't strong enough to take Zod and his army on by myself. After his army was finished he disappeared right before you arrived."

Clark didn't yet realize what J'onn was telling him but he understood that something significant had just happened. "J'onn, let me go with you and find him."

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do that. You have a far greater importance to Earth. But I do know that someday we will go on a journey of our own. For now you must return and I must be on my way."

Clark was still trying to wrap his head around everything. He said goodbye to J'onn and headed back to Earth. His mind was racing after just meeting another 'alien' and learning of the death of an entire civilization. The experienced changed Clark forever. He had never been exposed to such tragedy. He thought that if he had only gotten there sooner, maybe he could have stopped this General Zod. Clark was beating himself up for not being fast enough. He started blaming himself and soon forgot where he was and where he was going.

As he re-entered Earth's atmosphere, he began to get dizzy and his vision grew blurry. He suddenly realized how tired he was. As he came closer and closer to the ground he fought harder and harder to stay awake. He started slowing down but no longer knew where he was going. His eyes finally shut as he passed out from exhaustion. He landed hard in the water of a sea. He slowly floated to the surface and drifted towards an island where he washed up on shore. A woman emerged from the tree line and rushed over to him and immediately checked his pulse. She then picked him up and carried him away, disappearing into the wildlife.


	23. Paradise Island

Clark woke on a bed in a tented area. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and didn't have a single clue of where he could possibly be. He stood up but stumbled because his legs were still weak. He had never felt this way before but he figured that his trip into space must have taking a lot out of him. He had learned that over time his powers would get stronger, including his endurance but that part hadn't come yet. He sat back on the bed and tried to think of a strategy but was interrupted when a tall woman with black hair and blue eyes walked in.

"Good, you're awake."

Clark did a double take before speaking. "Diana?"

"How are you feeling Clark?

"Not so sharp. I've never felt this tired before."

"I don't blame you, must have swam a great distance to get here."

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what happened. Where am I?"

"Paradise Island."

"Paradise Island? I've never heard of it."

"Well that's probably because this island isn't on any map, at all. You are actually the first outsider to find this place."

"I'm a little confused here."

"There are a few things you should know. Firstly, this island is completely inhabited by women only."

"None at all?"

"I know what you're thinking, how can there be no men. How can we reproduce?"

Clark honestly hadn't thought that far yet. "Yeah how does that work?"

Diana took a deep breath and looked Clark in the eyes, "We're called Amazons. We're not from this world exactly. And by that I mean the world of Man."

"Amazons? Like a tribe or something?"

"In a way, we think of it as a society. Our island is magically protected from the rest of the world and we live in peace because of it."

"Something tells me that there's more to you Amazons. I want to hear more Diana."

"Really? I mean, you're not scared or anything? I always believed that if anyone found out about us, they would freak out."

"I'm not the average man."

Diana smiled, "I can tell. You're the first person from the outside world that I've told this to. I really feel like I can talk to you about anything. Something tells me you understand more than anybody."

Clark smiled back, "I try not to judge people, no matter what. I've been known to try and look for the good in a person."

"Well I have more news for you. I, like the rest of my sisters, have special abilities unlike any human has."

"What kind of abilities are you talking about? You aren't witches are you? I've actually encountered those before and it wasn't pretty."

Diana laughed for the first time in a long time, "No, no, no nothing like that. I'm talking like being able to rip steel in half, run as fast as a cheetah, skilled in combat, and… I can fly."

Clark was very surprised by this news. He studied her for moment without saying anything.

"I know you have to be freaking out right now, I'm so sorry Clark. You've got to be so overwhelmed; I knew I shouldn't have laid all of that on you at once."

Clark looked Diana in the eye, he knew how hard it was to reveal yourself to somebody and he was going to make sure Diana would never regret it.

"Diana, I'm okay. While this is a lot, I can handle it. It has to be more difficult for you to tell me all of this. I know you were scared of how I might react. You didn't know what was going to happen and that made you cautious. You've wanted to tell someone before but never could work up the courage."

"How did you know that?" Diana asked.

"I was an outsider in school when I was younger. I know how it feels."

Diana hugged him before she could stop herself. "Thanks Clark, it means a lot that you are so understanding. I don't how you do it but you get me to open up."

"It's probably just the Kent smile as my girlfriend likes to call it."

"Lois isn't it? How is she doing? I never actually got to meet her."

Clark frowned, "I'm not really sure, I haven't had the chance to speak to her in a while. I've been on a trip around the world for almost a year now. It's been at least a month now since the last time I spoke to her."

"Aw, I'm sorry Clark. I wish we had some way for you to communicate with her but that kind of technology is forbidden on this island." Then she remembered something, "Actually, you're not even allowed on this island. I could get in a lot of trouble for just being with you right now."

Clark got up, "Hey, I can get out of here, it's no problem. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me." He took a step and stumbled to the ground.

"I don't think so Clark. You are in no shape to travel right now." Diana said as she helped Clark to his feet and guided him back to the bed. "Listen I should be able to hide you out here until you are at least rested. Then we'll figure out a way for you to get home."

Clark new he wasn't going to be able to physically get off the island just yet. He was however, intrigued to learn more about the island and the women who lived on it. He didn't think it was quite the time to reveal who he really was to Diana because he feared that it would be too much, especially for the others on the island who had never had a visitor.

"So are there a lot of you on the island?"

"It's best that you don't know to be honest. The less you know, the less you can tell someone else."

"I understand. Can you at least tell me why you can leave the island but no one can come here?"

"I wasn't actually supposed to leave. I defied my mother and left because I felt there was more out there for me. I visited many different places but found the U.S. to be a fascinating place. There are so many different types of people and ideas. I envy the freedom sometimes as I feel trapped here on the island."

"What made you return?"

"My people. I couldn't just abandon everyone for good. When I returned however, I was punished by my mother and forced to stay outside of our small community, which is why you should be safe here."

"Thanks Diana. You're good friend. I think I just need some rest is all."

"Okay Clark, I'll let you sleep for a while and prepare us something to eat."

Diana left the tent as Clark allowed his eyes to close. She walked away slowly as she began to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time, happiness. She finally had someone to talk to about what she was going through and had someone who understood her. Diana then focused on how she was going to keep him hidden from the rest of her Amazon sisters.

* * *

Lois strolled into the Luthor Corp building with all the confidence in the world. Somehow, Bruce did as he said he would and got Lois her exclusive interview with Lex. She waited in the elevator as it began its climb to the top, she couldn't help but notice the other woman standing beside her.

"That's a beautiful bracelet." The woman observed.

"Oh, thanks. It was a gift from my boyfriend."

"He has good taste. What brings you to Luthor Corp today?"

"I'm a reporter from the Daily Planet on my way to a meeting with Lex Luthor."

"A reporter? You look a little young to be a reporter," the woman looked at Lois suspiciously. "What's your name, miss reporter from the _Daily Planet_?" She asked with a bit of condescension.

Lois caught the last part and took offense. "Lois Lane. And who are you exactly?"

"Miranda Tate. I work with Mr. Luthor," she said while looking from Lois to the elevator doors.

"Isn't that lovely." Lois looked away and rolled her eyes.

She had a bad feeling about Miranda and decided she was going to do a little research on her when she got back to the Planet. Just then the elevator bell rang as it had made it to Miranda's floor. Now Lois was left standing in the elevator alone, waiting to reach the floor Lex was on. When she arrived, she was escorted by the receptionist to Lex's office. She walked around the room as she waited for Lex and observed the different artifacts and books that were showcased. She noticed what looked like a giant vault built into the wall and the reporter in her desperately wanted to see what was inside. But before she could think about it anymore, Lex came through the doors.

"Lois Lane. How good it is to see you?"

"Hi Mr. Luthor, thank you for agreeing to the interview."

"Please, call me Lex. Can I get you anything to drink?" Lex said while pouring himself one.

"No thanks, I don't really drink that much anymore anyways."

"I see the Clark Kent influence has already consumed you."

"It has and for the better." Lois said with confidence.

"How is Clark doing by the way? I haven't heard a single thing about him since I've been back."

"Clark is fine, he's out of town for a while."

"He left you here in this big city all by yourself? That was stupid on his part."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm just saying that a beautiful woman such as yourself will have men crawling after you. Clark shouldn't have left you alone. I wouldn't have."

"Mr. Luthor, how about we talk about you and your disappearance instead of mine and Clark's personal lives?"

"Fair enough Ms. Lane. Ask away."

"Okay then, tell me what happened the night of your of father's death and your disappearance."

"When I first heard the news, I had just gotten out of an important meeting. I received a phone call with the news and dropped to my knees. I then got in touch with the authorities who were already on the scene. I then put my best men on the case of finding out what had happened to my father."

"And then you disappeared. What made you decide to leave?"

"I barely survived the nightmare of that night and couldn't handle to constant attention from the media after my father had just died. I needed to get away so that I could deal with it. I have several different vacation spots all around the world and spent some time at each one."

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were alive? There were rumors that you had died in the fire at your mansion."

"Well I had already left before I learned the news that my home had been destroyed. I decided not to alert anyone on my condition as I felt it made no difference to me at the time whether people thought I was dead or alive."

Lois knew everything he had just said was a giant lie but continued anyway.

"So you grieve your father's death and then return. What made you decide to run for a seat in the Senate?"

"It has been a dream of mine since I was a young boy. After my father's death, I learned that life is short and precious and that I couldn't waste any of it. So deciding to run in the election was an easy decision for me. You will soon be writing articles about me in a totally different light than ever before. Not only will I have my father's company back, but I'm making final plans on buying the Daily Planet as well."

Lois couldn't help but frown at the news. She was about to ask a new series of questions when Lex's phone rang.

"Excuse me just for a moment." He picked the phone up and answered. As the voice on the end began frantically telling him something, his face became red with anger and clinched his fist.

"How did this happen?...What you mean he snuck in and bought it, who?...Bruce Wayne!?...I had the Daily Planet deal locked up! Contact my lawyers immediately!" He then slammed the phone on the desk, breaking it in half.

Lois sat there in a bit of shock by how Lex had just acted. Lex saw the look on her face and quickly composed himself.

"I'm sorry Ms. Lane but I just received some disappointing news and I'm going to have to cut this interview short." He got up and stormed out of the office.

Lois sat there for a moment trying to figure out what had just taken place. Then her phone rang and she answered it.

"Hello."

"Lois, its Bruce Wayne. I would just like to thank you for your help."

"Bruce, what just happened? Lex just stormed out of the interview, upset about something."

"I just bought the Daily Planet out from underneath him." Bruce calmly proclaimed.

Lois smiled, "Are you serious?"

* * *

A few days passed and Clark was finally able to walk around and move freely. Diana had taken good care of him while also keeping her sisters away. Clark had offered to leave early as so not to risk Diana getting in trouble but she would have any of it. She thought about flying Clark off the island herself but didn't know how long she would be able to travel in the air as her flying ability was limited in distance. She then remembered one of her most proud possessions that she had developed since returning from the U.S.

"Clark, I think I may have a way to get you out of here and back home."

"Really? How."

"I have a plane. I've never used it before but I can't risk anything happening to you."

"But won't your sisters know if you used it. Won't that put you in more trouble."

"I can handle them. You, not so much. They will kill you if they find you."

Diana then hurried off to prepare her jet. Clark washed his hair and face and got fully dressed and ready to go. He then heard footsteps and a couple different voices. Three women walked in, all tall and physically fit. They spotted Clark and froze. Then one of them shouted.

"Who are you? What have you done with Diana? I demand you tell us now!"

Diana heard the shouting and turned around and sprinted back to the tent.

"I haven't done anything with her. I come in peace. I washed up on shore. I don't even know where I am."

The three women didn't believe him. The tallest one stepped forward and spoke.

"You picked a bad day to visit."

The three of them then closed in on Clark. Clark took a step backwards not sure what to do. On one hand he could single handedly take them all down. But he felt he needed to keep it as peaceful as possible. Diana came bursting in and stepped between Clark and the three women, forcing her sisters backwards.

"Back off now!" Diana said forcefully.

"Diana, what is the meaning of this!"

"Aresia, I can explain."

"How could you do this Diana? Bringing a man on this island when you know they are forbidden. You realize he must stand trial now before your mother and the rest of us."

"Mala, this is different."

"We have to take him now, don't cross us Diana."

"At least let me come and explain things."

"Not until the Queen has decided you can return."

The three women grabbed Clark and escorted him out of the tent. Diana stepped towards Clark as a tear fell from her eye.

"I'm sorry Clark."

"Diana, I'm going to fine. Just trust me"

Clark was then taken into the city where he was amazed by the visual before him. The city was modeled after ancient Greek cities with statues and monuments built all around. The buildings were made of giant pillars and were surrounded by exotic plants and flowers. Clark observed every building as he was led down the main path into the city's heart. The other Amazons stopped in their tracks when they saw their sisters escorting a man into the city. They stopped in front of the biggest structure on the island as Aresia went inside and came back out with an older woman who was wearing a crown.

"Aresia, Mala, Nu'Bia, what is going on?"

"Queen Hippolyta, Princess Diana has brought a man to this island. We found him in her tent and he must now face the consequences."

"Who are you and tell me how you got here." She looked at Clark and demanded.

Clark judged her face for a moment. He knew if he didn't handle the situation perfectly, things would get ugly. They thought he was a regular man and thought they would be able to kill him easily. He then stepped forward. "My name is Kal-El from the planet Krypton. I come in peace as a traveler. I crashed into the water and washed ashore where your daughter found me and took care of me. It was never my intent to stay here longer than I had too. I was just about to leave when these lovely ladies here found me."

The three woman spit in his direction.

"Kal-El of Krypton? I've never heard of such a place."

"My planet was destroyed years ago, I'm the last survivor."

Queen Hippolyta took the information in and finally spoke, "Before anything is decided, I wish to speak with my daughter first. For now, you will be taken to a secure room and monitored until a decision has been made. Mala, please go and bring Diana to me."

Clark was then taken inside by Aresia and Nu'Bia who tossed him to the floor and guarded the entrance. He sat in the floor and leaned his back against the wall and took a few deep breaths. He wasn't sure exactly what was going to be decided. He knew he had to keep things peaceful. These women obviously had trust issues with men. He looked upon the wall across from him and noticed paintings and drawings. They told the story of a man named Hercules who had deceived and tricked Hippolyta, by gaining her trust and then attacking her people with a small army of his. Clark guessed that that must have been the source of their hatred for men. He rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes. Suddenly the ground shook violently as an explosion rocked the city.


	24. Hell in Paradise

Explosion after explosion shook the city as building after building fell to the ground. The Amazons retreated to their homes and grabbed their weapons, ready to fight the intruders. As they gathered in the heart of the city, they were unable to locate where the threats were coming from. There were no apparent enemies anywhere to be found. Suddenly another explosion erupted below their feet, sending the woman flying in different directions. A group of people emerged from the smoke.

"Sensei, Dr. Moon, and Lady Shiva head to east side and set the traps. David, Detonator, Hook, Maduvu take the west side. Razorburn, Shellcase, and Whip take the south. Tigris, take a group to the north and destroy everything in sight. Merlyn, position yourself up the hill and take out your assigned targets. The rest, come with me to the center!" Bane instructed.

The League of Shadows had arrived and quickly separated in different directions to carry out their attack. The Amazons slowly got to their feet and began to fight. They were outnumbered and overwhelmed and were losing the battle before it had even started. Aresia and Nu'Bia looked at each other worried. Clark rose to his feet. They turned to him.

"It's you isn't it? You've brought this here!" shouted Nu'Bia. They lunged at Clark who caught them both and wrapped him arms around them, holding them still.

"I'm not doing this, I don't know who is. But we need to get out of here and find out what's behind this attack."

"You're not going anywhere!" announced Queen Hippolyta, who ha just entered and was bleeding and covered in dirt.

"Queen Hippolyta, you don't understand. I have nothing to do with this but I can help. You have to believe me."

"These attacks cannot be coincidental; they began just after you arrived here. Now you're going to tell me who is doing this right now!"

Clark's super hearing kicked in as he heard Diana shouting. He used his x-ray vision and watched as Diana took on a group of ten attackers. She fought like Clark had never seen before. She used a lasso and collected member after member. She rose above one attacker and spun in mid-air, kicking him in the back of the head, then swept his legs out from underneath him. An arrow sailed straight for her heart but she swiftly blocked it with the bracelets on her wrists. She then came across a man with a series of knives which he threw and stabbed at her. She avoided ever single attempt and struck the man in the chest, knocking him off his feet.

"We have to get out there Queen Hippolyta, Diana is out there fending for herself!" Clark urged.

Just then there was another explosion as a rocket hit the entrance behind the queen and sent her flying towards Clark, knocking them all to the ground. Bane stepped into the room through the smoke.

"It's so nice to be here, what a lovely island this is."

* * *

"Lane! In my office now!" yelled the new editor of the Daily Planet.

"Calm down Perry, I'm perfectly fine. Getting kidnapped and held hostage happens to me every week."

"I don't give a gosh darn if it happens all the time. I don't need my up and coming investigative reporter getting killed right now. I have a very important assignment for you if you are interested."

"I'll take it!" Lois said with excitement.

"But you haven't even heard what it is yet."

"I don't care, it already sounds exciting."

"Fine, then it's all yours."

"Great, what is it?"

"I'm sending you to investigate the disappearance of Oliver Queen. You will begin in Egypt where he was last seen before his boat trip."

Lois wasn't expecting a story of this magnitude just yet. She had gotten a lot of recognition for her story on Lex's return. She had quickly become a popular name in Metropolis. But this story had world news written all over it. Plus, she wanted to find Oliver just as bad as Lana, who had left Smallville in search of him.

Later that night, Lois attended a dinner party hosted at Bruce's mansion in Gotham. Chloe and Jimmy went with her and they found a table and sat down. Lois observed how cute Chloe and Jimmy had become. The two had officially announced their relationship and were happier than ever.

Their happiness left Lois feeling lonely without Clark. They had slowly grown a part over the past year and hadn't spoken in over a month. She had attempted to contact him numerous times through phone calls and emails but he never replied. She feared that Clark had decided that she wasn't supposed to be a part of his new life. Chloe scolded her for even thinking such a thing and that made Lois feel even worse. The kawatche bracelet never left her wrist, leaving a white stripe where her skin had tanned around the bracelet. When she wasn't on the job, she wore nothing but flannel and slept in nothing but Clark's shirt. It was the only way she could peacefully sleep.

This night, she had on a very classy black dress and was still as beautiful as ever. Guy after guy asked her to dance, which she politely declined. It wasn't until she saw who Bruce Wayne was dancing with that made her decide it was time for a dance. She nudged Jimmy's shoulder and asked him to dance. Jimmy blushed and quickly turned back to a smiling Chloe.

"Go ahead, it's not every day the one and only Lois Lane asks you dance."

"I just need to borrow him for a minute Chlo, thanks."

Lois drug Jimmy to the dance floor and positioned them near Bruce and his dance partner.

"Lois, what's going on?" Jimmy asked while trying not to notice how close Lois was to him.

"See that woman Bruce Wayne is dancing with?"

"Yeah, so?"

"That's Miranda Tate. She works for Lex Luthor. I don't trust her at all."

"Then why is Mr. Wayne dancing with her?"

"That's what I'm going to find out."

Lois then quickly switched places with Miranda Tate before she could even react. Lois rested her hand on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce smiled.

"Well if it isn't the beautiful Lois Lane. I wasn't quite sure you were going to make it tonight."

"I didn't want to disappoint. But I couldn't help noticing your last dance partner, Miranda Tate."

"Ah yes, Ms. Tate."

"Bruce, I just want to warn you that she works for Lex Luthor."

"Thank you for your concern Lois, but I know. How else would I have found out Lex's plan to buy the Daily Planet and also be able to get you that interview?"

Lois was shocked. "I had no idea you two were working together." She then noticed the look on Bruce's face. "You two aren't…you know?"

"We began seeing each other privately a few months ago. It's nothing too serious but I've grown to care for her a great deal and I believe she has done the same for me."

"I just want you to be careful Bruce, there's just something I don't trust about her."

"I'll take that into consideration Lois."

"So how's protecting Gotham going?" Lois changed the subject catching Bruce off guard. He looked at her alarmed and glanced to his left and right seeing if anyone was paying attention. Lois quickly spoke again, "Relax batboy, nobody else has a single clue."

"Clark." Bruce said taking a deep breath and exhaled realizing Lois knew the truth thanks to Clark.

Lois could only smile, "Don't worry, you and Clark are more alike than you think."

* * *

Clark laid the injured queen slowly to ground and turned to face Bane.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Clark demanded.

"I could ask you the same. It's my understanding that you are not permitted to be here anymore than I am."

Clark studied the giant man in front of him. He was bigger than Clark and seemed very calm under the circumstances.

"Why are you attacking these women?"

"They are a potential threat to our plan."

"Our plan? Who's plan exactly?"

"We are the League of Shadows." Bane proclaimed.

Clark couldn't believe what he had just heard. "I thought the League of Shadows was finished off by the Batman."

"You thought wrong. We have only become stronger. And now I fear you must suffer the same fate as these Amazons." Bane said while stepping forward.

Bane grabbed Clark by the shirt and lifted him into the air. He held Clark with one hand and reared back with his other hand to throw a punch. Suddenly a lasso fell around Bane's arm and he was pulled backwards by Diana. Bane released Clark who landed on his feet. Diana swung Bane into the wall as cracks formed throughout the concrete. Bane grabbed ahold of the lasso and pulled Diana towards him and grabbed her, slamming her into the ground.

That action set Clark off. He was done hiding himself from everyone there and the real Clark Kent came out. He shot forward at Bane so fast that Bane never saw him move. With one single punch, Clark sent Bane flying through the wall and outside into the center of the city. Clark stepped through the new hole in the wall and walked towards Bane who was trying to get up. The injured Amazon women, including Diana, watched in amazement as Clark picked Bane up and threw him into a rock wall.

Just then a rocket flew at Clark, who caught it in the air and crushed it in his hand. A series of arrows soared in the sky in his direction. He used his heat vision and disintegrated each one. Then he used his super breath to knock Merlyn, the archer, out of the tree he was in. The rest of the League closed in on Clark, surrounding him. They all ran at him at once with their weapons ready to strike.

Clark waited until they were within an arm's length before he shot into the sky. The League stopped in its tracks, all stunned. Clark had disappeared into the sky but quickly circled back and snuck up on the League at a speed so fast, he was barely visible. He took half of them out with his heat vision and then took the rest out with a series of punches and kicks. He threw some across the city, while he flew others off the island and dumped them into the water.

Diana got to her feet and started for the rest of the League when she was suddenly struck on the back of her head from behind and knocked to the ground. Aresia stepped over Diana and smirked at her, then kicked her in the ribs which sent her across the room and into the wall.

"I'm sorry Diana, but it had to be done."

Aresia then ran over to Bane and helped him to his feet. They quickly collected the rest of the League and fled as Clark flew over to Diana's aid. He picked up Diana's motionless body and carried her to the steps and laid her down. The rest of the Amazon women rushed over to Clark and Diana. They were amazed by what they had just seen Clark do. He hadn't even noticed the island of women all standing around him, staring at him. Queen Hippolyta forced her way through the crowd and stopped when she saw Clark holding Diana. Clark lifted Diana's head and stroked her cheek.

"Diana, can you hear me? You're safe, they're gone now."

Diana slowly opened her eyes, "Clark?"

"It's me, I'm right here."

"I think you have some explaining to do." Diana smiled.

* * *

Oliver took a couple of breaths as he steadied his bow and arrow while aiming at the rabbit that was quietly eating in the distance. He took another deep breath and then released the arrow as it shot through the air and hit the rabbit. He jogged over and picked up his dinner, tossing it in a sack and flung it over his shoulder, and headed back to his camp.

He had been stranded on the island for months with no contact with another human being. He didn't know where he was and had no way of knowing how to get back home. As he journeyed back to his small home built out of tree branches and mud, he held his bow out in front of him and admired his work. During his time stranded on the island, he had built a bow out a few different materials he came across and began practicing his archery skills. It had been some time since his elementary schools days of winning archery trophies. But nonetheless he had regained his form which had come in handy with his need to eat and survive.

When he reached his home, he set out to start a fire and then sat down on a log to begin cleaning his kill. As he began skinning the rabbit, he heard the sound of a twig break. With his senses heightened, he slowly looked around his surroundings, trying to pick up any movement. He grabbed his bow and stood up, taking aim for whatever was out there. He heard another sound to his right and quickly turned but saw nothing there. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind as a sword was put to his neck.

"Don't move a muscle," a deep voice commanded.

Oliver closed his eyes as his brain began racing for an idea on how to get out of the situation.

"Tell me who you are working for and what you are doing here and I might let you live," the voice spoke again.

"My name is Oliver Queen. I'm not working for anybody. My boat shipwrecked and I ended up here. I don't even know where I am exactly."

"Well Oliver Queen, I'm sorry to hear that. However I don't believe you."

Oliver felt the blade of the sword press harder on his throat as it began to cut into his skin.

"Wait!" Came a much softer voice from behind them. "Don't kill him. Not yet at least."

Oliver was suddenly thrown to the ground as he reached for his neck and groaned in pain. He turned around to face the voices. In front of him was a man with black and grey hair who carried two big swords on his back and was dressed in special black militia gear. On his face, he wore a patch the covered his right eye. Behind him stood a young woman wearing all green, including a green hood, holding a bow and arrow. She joined the man and addressed Oliver.

"My name is Shado. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Well that's real comforting after what your friend was about to do." Oliver remarked while still rubbing his neck.

"Your just lucky she has a heart," the man said. "My name is Slade Wilson," he offered his hand to Oliver and pulled him to his feet. "Welcome to our nightmare."


	25. Finding Answers

Clark flew around the island checking for anymore intruders but they had all mysteriously fled the island. He saw no signs of a boat or helicopter or plane being near the island which it made it seem like they had vanished out of thin air. He wasn't quite sure how they got here but however the method, it allowed them to come and go quickly and quietly. He flew back to the center of the city and landed in front of the large group of Amazons. They all faced him but with a different attitude than his first meeting with them. Queen Hippolyta stepped forward and embraced Clark in a hug. She then stepped back and spoke.

"Kal-El from Krypton, as queen of the Amazons, I would like to personally thank you for saving our island today. No man has ever stepped foot onto this island before, until you found us today. We Amazons do not trust men easily as I'm sure you have already learned. But you are slowly changing the way we think. While you certainly are no ordinary man, you have earned our respect and we will be forever in you debt."

Clark looked at all of the women who were now smiling at him. Diana stepped forward and stood beside her mother. Clark slowly rose into the air so that all of the Amazons could see him. He scanned all their faces before speaking.

"Queen Hippolyta, you will never be in my debt. We exist here as equals in my eyes. I would just like you all to know that it was never my intention to come to this island and interfere with your livelihoods. The truth is, I crashed near here after a trip into outer space." The women all opened their eyes wide after he said that. "Diana here was kind enough to take care of me and help me regain my strength. I was about to leave when Aresia and Nu'bia found me. Please do not place any hate towards Diana. She is a special woman who I befriended in America. It was pure luck that I found my way here and was able to help defend this wonderful island. But I'm afraid that while you survived this attack, there may be more to come."

Diana rose into the air and stopped beside Clark, facing her sisters. "Kal-El is right," she said with a smirk as she glanced at him. "One of our own has betrayed us and brought this attack to us. Aresia has always had a dark side to her ever since she first came to this island. It is my belief that she felt isolated for not being a true Amazon after she washed up on shore as a child. So we must all come together as sisters and get through these next few days. We will have to rebuild and we have to be ready for future attacks. Our secrecy is no longer secure and we must expect the worse. If it wasn't for Kal-El, or Clark, as I know him we may not be gathered here. I would like to extend an invitation of peace towards Clark as the first man to be welcomed to Paradise Island."

All of the women nodded in agreement. Clark and Diana floated back to the ground as each Amazon came forward and thanked Clark. Diana then led him away from the group and the two walked towards the beach. They walked side by side, both seemingly unaware that they were the two most powerful people on the planet.

* * *

The sand swirled around Lois as the desert winds kicked all around her. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead as the sun's heat beamed down on her. She definitely wasn't in Metropolis anymore. She had spent the past week traveling around Africa as she followed Oliver's trail. She had finally made her way to Egypt thanks to a helpful lead from Chloe back home. She had also gotten in touch with Lana, who was currently in Japan on another lead. Lana had borrowed some of Oliver's fortune to help fund her own personal investigation. Lois had learned from her that Oliver had been seen in with a small group of friends in Dubai, India. That was Lois' next stop.

Upon arriving in Dubai, she took the airport shuttle which brought her to her hotel. The city of Dubai was unlike any she had ever seen. It was tabbed by many as the city of the future. The structures where massive and the buildings looked twenty years ahead of their time. Even the hotel Lois was staying at was nicer than any place she had ever been. The lobby had a water fall as well as its own aquarium. Her room was bigger than her Metropolis apartment. Luckily for her, the Daily Planet was footing the bill because she couldn't even begin to imagine what the room itself cost.

The lead Lana had given her led her to a business that specialized in manufacturing weapons. After finally finding someone who spoke English, she was able to start asking some questions. The man who spoke English turned out to be a fellow reporter from New York City. He had been living in Dubai for the past two years, initially on an assignment. After his investigation stalled, he found that he loved the city too much to return to New York and decided to move. He got a job at the weapons company and quickly moved up the working ladder.

"So you actually met Oliver Queen here?" Lois asked with a bit of surprise.

"I did. We had a short meeting where he expressed interest in possibly buying our company. We had hit a bit of a financial bump recently and he wanted to help. I had a very good feeling about the whole situation coming out of the meeting until I heard the tragic news about his death."

"Tell me a little more about Oliver's interest in this company and expand on exactly what this company does."

"Our company is both a research and testing organization with the goal of bringing the next big development in not only weapons but technology. We have recently ventured into the aircraft business and have become a major competitor to Ferris Aircrafts. Our founder and President, Ms. China White, has been working non-stop to out-do those over in America. Oliver's interest seemed to me, to be nothing but business."

"Ferris Aircrafts you said? They are known all over the world, how have you been able to compete with them."

"I can't quite tell you our secret but I can assure you it is something nobody else is doing."

Lois wanted to dig more but she forced to stay on her main topic. "So you and Oliver met, discussed your company and then he left. Correct?"

"That is correct Ms. Lane. He left my office here and headed to another meeting with Ms. White."

"This Ms. White, is she around? I'd love to talk to her for just a moment."

"She is not in today."

"Well do you know where she might be."

"I can' tell you that. She doesn't like being bothered and she also keeps that kind of information quiet."

"Oh come on, help a fellow reporter out. Just give me something." Lois batted her eyes.

The man smiled at her and hesitated, "You….might be able to catch her at this address," he said while handing Lois a card. "I heard whispers that she spends some time there."

"See, that wasn't so hard. That little lead is all I need Mr. Corben. I guess I should be going now."

"Please, call me John."

"Okay, John…..Corben. Hey that has a nice ring to it."

"Why thanks. If I'm ever in Metropolis, I'll be sure to look you up Lois Lane."

"That shouldn't be hard to do, just check the front page of the Daily Planet. That's where I'll be." She winked.

John smiled and thanked her for stopping by.

* * *

Clark and Diana walked along the beach as the water slowly crept up the sand before receding. Diana wasn't sure what to say or how to begin this conversation. Lucky for her she didn't have to as Clark spoke first.

"So it looks like the both of us were hiding some things. I had no idea you could fight like that."

Diana laughed and nodded her head. "I think you were hiding a little bit more than I was."

"Yeah I guess I was," Clark chuckled.

"So Kal, you're not from this planet? How did you get here?"

"My parents sent me here just before my home planet exploded. I don't know much about what happened or why it happened."

Diana saw heard the change in the tone of his voice.

"My father believed that Earth would be a good place for me to live and that I should use my abilities to help protect it.

"Well I can certainly see why," she said as she motioned towards the city. "What exactly happened back there? You moved so fast and did things I've never seen or heard of before."

"Like you, I've been blessed with certain abilities. My cells absorb Earth's sun giving me my source of power. I'm still learning them as I go and as I get stronger. We're much more alike than I originally thought."

"Yeah but you are like a more 'super' version. How are you able to fly so fast?"

"I don't really know. Believe it or not, I'm still getting used to it. I just know I can go as fast as I want and as far as I want in a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds."

"That's incredible." She said in awe. Never did she ever dream there would be someone like Clark. Even though she had her own unique abilities that compared reasonably well with his, he had the rare ability to inspire and exude hope.

"So how did you get your powers?" Clark asked curiously.

Diana paused for the moment, "The Greek Gods."

Clark stopped walking, "Gods?"

"Yes," Diana smiled. "I'm sure you've probably heard of, in one way or another, the likes of Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hestia, and Demeter."

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Each god granted me with a power."

He stared at her for a brief second, "You're telling me they actually exist?" He said with a bewildered face.

Diana laughed, "Coming from a man from another galaxy."

This caused him to laugh at himself, "Good point. It just seems so crazy. You have no idea how much I want to know now. At some point we're going to have to sit down and you'll have to tell me everything."

"I would like that."

They started walking again as Clark took a deep breath, "There is something I wanted to talk to you about before I left. It's about my trip into space. In the future, we may have to face an even bigger problem and threat than the League of Shadows."

"Like what?"

"His name is Zod. I don't know much about him other than he's from my home planet Krypton. He was a general there and has been traveling from galaxy to galaxy, and with the help of his army, destroying everything in his path."

"Then the two of us will be ready Clark. We'll just have to make sure we keep in touch in case he finds his way here."

"I'm glad to hear that. I wanted to warn you so you could protect your sisters as well."

"Clark, before you leave I think it's a good idea if the two of us visit Aresia's room to look for any clues on the League of Shadows."

"That's a great idea Diana, you lead the way."

* * *

When Lois arrived at the address, she saw a large mansion but no one appeared to be there. The house was surrounded by a tall fence and the driveway was blocked off by a gate. On the gate were symbols she had seen before but couldn't remember where. She decided then that the place needed to be visited by the Daily Planets newest star reporter. She parked the rented car off to the side and made her way around the side of the property. She looked for any type of way in but had no luck. She finally found a low spot in the fence on the back side of the property. With the help of a tree, she was able to climb it and jump over the fence, landing in a barrel role just as the General had taught her.

The back door was unlocked as she slipped in and made her way around the house. There was something about the place that didn't sit well with her. Someone was definitely living there and they enjoyed the convenience of money. There were paintings on the walls that had to be a hundred years old. There were also pictures of some of the most historical tragedies ever recorded. There was a painting of Rome being sacked, one of the Black Plague, and another of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Lois walked up the giant stair case and explored the second floor. She opened a door and found a huge hall with a long table that sat in the middle surrounded by chairs. In the back of the room was a line of desks that covered the entire walls length. She walked over and began going through the papers that were laid out. She found newspaper articles about the attacks on Gotham City. Then her eyes fell on a sheet of paper that had a profile of man named Winslow Schott. Beneath his profile was, what appeared to be, a contract of some sort. Listed in the contract were two targets: a new Ferris Aircrafts plane and Oliver Queen's boat.

"Who the hell is Winslow Schott?" she muttered.

She covered her mouth when she noticed the giant X's drawn through each picture of a plane and Oliver's face. Whoever lived in this house had been responsible for Oliver's disappearance. She then saw another piece of paper titled "Paradise Island" but before she could read anymore she heard sounds coming from downstairs and quickly made her way into the closet of the room.

"Mr. Ducard, I just received an update from our Paradise Island operation. I'm afraid it's not good news." A skinny Asian woman announced as her and another man entered the room.

"Did we manage to neutralize the Princess?" Henri asked.

"I'm not sure. From the reports I've gotten, there was something else there when the others arrived. Something none of them were prepared to face."

"Ms. White, what are you saying?"

Lois watched through the key hole. _Ms. White? As in China White? It had to be her_. Lois thought to herself.

"I'm saying we have much bigger problems than we could have ever anticipated," said a nervous China White.

"Well what was is it? What was on the island?" demanded Henri Ducard.

Lois stood silently in the closest trying to figure out who the man was and what they were talking about. She had a slight suspicion that it was the same organization that abducted Lex and attacked Gotham. She blocked all of those thoughts out and focused on the conversation.

"It's not so much an 'it' but a who. There was a man already on the island."

"A man? Our information told us that no man had ever been allowed to step foot there. How did this happen and how did this disrupt our plans."

"I don't know yet but I don't think he was just some ordinary man. From what I've been told, he's even more powerful than the Princess. Mr. Ducard, he took out our League all by himself. He can fly, move at speeds faster than the eye can see, blow hurricane force winds from his mouth, and..." she hesitated, "He can shoot fire out of his eyes."

Lois couldn't believe what she had just heard. The woman had just described her boyfriend, the man she was still madly in love with. Hearing that only made her heart flutter harder than ever. A huge sense of pride flowed over her as she realized that Clark had prevented another attack by this dangerous group of people.

"One man? Did all of that by himself? We have the finest assassins in the world and you are telling one individual disarmed all of them at once."

"Sir, they weren't even able to expose any weakness of his. Even the masked man, Bane, couldn't put up a fight."

"I've heard enough, it's time to regroup. Call an emergency meeting right away; I want to know everything humanly possible that there is to know about this mystery man. No one will stand in our way this time, no one!"


	26. Rescued

Clark and Diana entered Aresia's room to find everything intact. Diana went over and began filtering through Aresia's things. Clark x-rayed the room and found a chest hidden under the bed area.

"Here, under the bed." Clark said as he got down on his hands and knees and retrieved the wooden box. He opened it and spilled its contents onto the floor. There were several books and folders which contained over 50 different documents. Diana picked one up and began reading.

"Target: Carter Hall, also known as 'Hawkman'. Assignment: Aresia. Location: Egypt. Association: Justice Society of America. Threat: Potentially dangerous, ability of flight and carries a club as weapon of choice." She stopped and looked up at Clark.

"This has to be something to do with the League of Shadows, like a hit list or something. That means Aresia has been working with them for some time now." Clark proclaimed.

"But who is this Carter Hall? And it still doesn't make any sense for Aresia to be involved in something like this."

"I don't know but we will find out who Carter Hall is and why Aresia is doing this."

Diana nodded in agreement and flipped to the next page and read again, "Target: Oliver Queen. Assignment: Winslow Schott. Location: Sulu Sea, Philippines. Association: Owner of Luthor Corp and Queen Industries. Threat: High business threat."

Clark grabbed the document from her and re-read it in only a few seconds. He stood up quickly and walked over to the window. Diana stood up too and joined him.

"Clark, what's wrong?"

"Oliver is a friend of mine. He went missing awhile back and he's thought to have died on a boating accident. I haven't been able to find him. I still thought he might be alive but now I'm not so sure after learning the League of Shadows was behind it."

"We can never know unless we look Clark. You take the lead here on Oliver and I'll search for Carter Hall." She then handed him one her earrings, "Take this. It works as a transmitter so that we can communicate whenever we need to. Once we find out everything we can, we'll meet again. Sound good?"

Clark was unsure about the plan but agreed anyway. They left Aresia's room and went back to the beach where Diana revealed her plane. She climbed in and looked over at Clark.

"You're sure you don't want a lift?"

"Believe me Diana, I'm a little faster than your plane."

Diana smiled, "That may be true. But can you do this?" She pushed a button and the entire plane went invisible, including her.

Clark tilted his head to the side making sure what he just saw was real. Diana laughed when she saw him trying to figure it out. He then used his x-ray vision and saw her. He smiled.

"Just be glad I'm the only one with x-ray vision…Princess."

Diana's laugh faded, "Wait what? What do you mean x-ray vision?"

Clark gave her a wink and a wave before ascended into the sky and disappearing above the clouds.

* * *

Lois waited for quite some time after Henri Ducard and China White left the room. She now knew that they had some type of connection to Oliver's disappearance and that someone named Winslow Schott appeared to be responsible. Her mind was already racing as she imagined many possible scenarios that could have happened to Oliver. _Did something happen to him similar to what had happened to Lex? _She put away the thoughts that he may actually be dead. She slowly opened the closet door and crept around the room. Just as she reached the door, it flew open as a giant group of people marched in, all bloodied and beaten up. They all suddenly stopped at the sight of her.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?!" China White yelled.

"Lois Lane of the Daily Planet, care to comment on your involvement in Oliver Queen's disappearance?" Lois asked on instinct.

The group looked back and forth at each other and then busted out laughing before Bane stepped forward, ready to address Lois.

"I commend your spirit. You have such passion for what you do and I truly admire that. But that passion and spirit has blinded you I fear."

"Ms. Lane, you shouldn't have come here," spoke Henri Ducard as he made his way through the group. "I don't know how you possibly got in here or what your motive was but none of that matter's now. I'm sure you understand that what we do next is nothing personal. But we can't have anyone interfering with our plans and I'm afraid you know too much for your own good."

Lois took a step back, "You're not actually thinking about killing a reporter from the world's most popular newspaper are you? It would bring a lot of unwanted attention to you from very powerful people."

"And who exactly knows you are here?"

"Trust me, Mr. Ducard is it? There are people who know where I am. And if they aren't able to do anything, I have a secret weapon. I think the rest of you team here already met him, especially this big guy here. Is your face okay sweetheart? You look like you could use a Band-Aid or some ice."

Bane clinched his fist and took a step towards Lois before Henri's hand stopped him.

"Ms. Lane, that mouth of yours is going to get you in a lot of trouble."

Lois wasn't about to back down now, "You're the one who will be in a lot of trouble."

"Is that a threat?" asked Ducard who started to chuckle at the idea of this woman threatening the most powerful criminal organization in the world.

"You can call it that," Lois shot back. "If anything happens to me, it will be the last time you hurt anyone, THAT I can promise."

"I've heard enough, take her away." Henri ordered.

Lois took a few more steps backward as Bane and China White advanced on her. Suddenly, a winged figure crashed through the glass ceiling and landed behind Lois. In one motion, he grabbed Lois around the waist and struck Bane across the chest with his club, sending Bane tumbling backwards. The winged man then shot back up through the hole in the ceiling and disappeared with Lois.

* * *

Clark flew above the clouds with a new mission of finding Oliver. He soared through the sky as he came upon the first few islands of the Philippines. He began searching each island in hopes that Oliver had washed ashore on one of them. The first ten islands he checked were empty. He took to the sky again and used his enhanced vision to search the next ten but found nothing. Finally his eyes fell upon an island that was the furthest out from the rest. He saw some movement and watched as a group of men were chasing someone. Clark took off in their direction but stopped suddenly when the man being chased, began firing arrows at the group. He took them out one by one until only one man stood. Clark watched intently as the two engaged in combat. The other man wore a blue and yellow outfit that also covered his face. He wielded two swords and was able to chop the arrows in half as they came at him.

Clark flew a little closer until he recognized the archer's face, Oliver Queen. He then shot forward at the man with the swords and picked him up in a blur and tossed him on the other side of the island. Clark then flew back and landed about 100 feet from Oliver, who was waiting with an arrow loaded. Oliver shot the arrow at the unknown target but Clark caught it in his hand and snapped it in two.

"Oliver! It's me, Clark Kent!"

"Clark? What the…how is this possible? Clark, what are you doing here? How did you just do that?"

"I've been looking for you. I followed a few leads which brought me here." Clark said as he walked closer.

"How the hell did you just do all that?" Oliver said while still a bit shocked.

"We'll talk about that later. What happened to you?"

"Well one minute I'm enjoying a nice alcoholic beverage and the next, I wake up on a beach surrounded by a bunch of men with weapons. I was beaten at first and then trained to be like one of them. When I saw that they had nothing but bad intentions, I rebelled and they came after me."

"Who is they exactly?" asked Clark.

"Some special ops team I think. I was held prisoner for a short time before escaping thanks to the help of a couple of friends I made here on the island. One of them was the guy you just threw, his name is Slade Wilson."

"He was your friend?" Clark asked in disbelief after just witnessing the two of them fighting.

"He was," Oliver paused.

"Who else was here?"

"A girl named Shado. We grew kind of close, she taught me many things. I..I couldn't save her. Her death sent Slade into a rage. We went separate ways for some time. My next encounter with him, he was doped up on something that gave him enhanced abilities like I've never seen before, well at least until now."

"I'm sorry Oliver."

"I'm just glad to see you Clark."

"Well I think I may know who was responsible for you ending up here. I think you were a target for a group who goes by the name 'The League of Shadows' and a guy named Winslow Schott was assigned to take you out."

"Did you say Winslow Schott?"

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"I do. He used to work for Queen Industries in our exploratory science department. He was a brilliant man but he began acting out of control and had a weird thing for bringing toys to work. We had to eventually let him go."

"Well he must have had a big enough grudge against you to try and kill you. Do you remember anything on the boat?"

"Not really. There was only four of us on board. We were drinking and playing cards when suddenly I hear a loud bang and then the boat began to tip over and that was the last I remembered."

"Well I'm just glad you were able to survive, not only the ocean but the island as well. It's been almost two years now since you went missing."

"Two year?" Oliver questioned. "That's it? Because it felt like ten."

"Well I can take you home if you'd like."

"Just get me to the nearest airport and I can take it from there. I have somewhere I need to go."

"Lana right?"

Oliver nodded, "Have you heard from her?"

"I haven't for a while but I know she has been looking for you non-stop. Here hop on my back and let's get going."

Oliver looked at him funny. "This is going to be weird in more than one way. But hey, I haven't had that type of companionship now for a couple of years. I'll gladly straddle your back Clark." He joked.

Clark opened his eyes wide.

"I'm kidding Clark. Lighten up a little, I know I've been gone a while but I still know how to be sarcastic."

Clark laughed as the two took off in flight. Clark told Oliver his whole story and told him about his recent adventures. He explained more about The League of Shadows and even told Oliver about his trip into space. Oliver was inspired by Clark's stories of heroics and helped form an idea in his head for his future when he got back to Star Ciy and Metropolis.

They arrived at the Singapore airport and Oliver immediately went to the nearest pay phone and dialed Lana's number. A phone began ringing behind him and he turned around to find Lana standing there with her back to him. She answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Lana, turn around."


	27. Hawkman

Lana turned around and saw Oliver standing by the phone booth. His hair was much longer than she remembered and he now had a thick blond beard. She dropped her phone and ran into his arms and kissed him. When they finally broke their kiss, she grabbed his face and looked into his eyes.

"I thought you were dead! I looked everywhere I could think of but there wasn't any sign of you. I found the boat wreckage and I've had it examined. How in the world did you survive? How did you get here?" She asked as tears fell from her eyes.

Just then Clark stepped from behind Oliver. Lana's face lit up as she realized Clark had done it.

"What took you so long?" She joked as she jumped into his arms. Clark caught her and returned the hug.

"Well I went to outer space and then saved an island full of women. I don't know if that's a good enough excuse though," He joked.

Lana put her hands on his shoulders and pushed away.

"What do you mean you went to outer space?!"

Clark laughed, "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything later. The important thing is that I did find Oliver."

Lana turned to Oliver as he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving." Oliver said jokingly but serious at the sometime. "I'm craving a Big Mac, there has to be a McDonald's somewhere in this airport."

Lana and Clark both busted out laughing as the three began walking. Lana walked between the two guys, as sense of relief fell across her body. She placed her hand back into Oliver's and then looks up at Clark and whispered a soft "Thank you."

Clark nodded and gave her a kiss on the top of her head before patting Oliver on the shoulder. Oliver now wore the biggest smile on his face as looked at Clark and mouthed "Thank you."

* * *

Carter Hall poured two shot glasses of whiskey before settling down in his chair. He rubbed his head and closed his eyes, trying to block out Lois' voice. He downed the first glass and then opened his eyes and watched as Lois paced back and forth across the room. She had been going on and on about the dangerous organization, things Carter already knew. He picked up the second glass and then slid it across the table, stopping just in front of Lois.

"…which means if these guys were capable of doing this to Oliver than they most certainly did the same to Lex Luthor. And that means that he definitely is hiding something. And I'm guessing whatever he is hiding has to be huge because why else would they release him? I'm just glad Clark already got the chance to rough them up and give them some of their own medicine. You should have seen that big buffoon's beaten up body; well actually you did because you gave him a walloping of his own. Which leads me to my next question, just how are you able to fly? And can I have one of your clubs?"

Carter shook his head in disbelief, "Is there ever a moment when you don't talk?"

Lois narrowed her eyes, "Don't get snippy with me Mr. Hawkman."

"My name is Carter Hall," he replied in frustration.

"But your known has Hawkman so I'll call you Hawkman. It just sounds cooler than Carter Hall."

Carter reached back across the table for the other glass a whiskey and poured it down his throat. He then refilled the two glasses and handed one to Lois.

"Lois, drink."

"Well I don't really drink anymore."

"Well you're going to start again," Carter said firmly.

Lois finally accepted the glass and washed it down.

"Wow," she said. "It's been awhile."

"So tell me about this Clark guy you were just going on about."

Lois had completely forgotten she had mentioned Clark and wasn't quite sure how much she should tell Carter about him.

"Clark is my boyfriend, well at least he was or still is… it's complicated. You see we haven't spoken in a while but that's not because we split up or anything. We've just been on two different paths and haven't found the time. Sometimes I feel lik…"

"Lois, what did you boyfriend have to do with the League of Assassins?" Carter interrupted her, not ready to listen to another Lois Lane monologue.

She had gotten lost yet again in her thoughts of Clark. She longed to see him, to feel him, to hear his voice, to be his arms. She snapped back to reality as Carter knocked on the table.

"Sorry," she said while shaking her head. "I found out that Clark had his own encounter with the bad guys and he definitely got the best of them. Apparently they tried to attack some island I've never heard of and wanted to hurt some princess. Fortunately, Clark was there to stop them."

"And how exactly was he able to stop them?"

Lois smiled, "My boyfriend isn't like most people. Actually there's no one else on this planet like him, even you. While the two of you do have few things in common, he's in a league of his own when it comes to abilities."

Carter looked at Lois cautiously. Before he could ask her another question she quickly turned the questions around on him.

"So what exactly is your involvement with the League of Shadows?"

Carter took a deep breath before answering, "Everything I'm about to tell you is strictly off the record, got it? I don't need any of this popping up the Daily Planet."

Lois nodded her head in agreement.

"For many years I was a part of group of extraordinary people like myself."

"Superheroes?"

"I guess that's what you could call us. Anyways, recently many of my former colleagues have been turning up mysteriously dead. I began investigating the incidences and stumbled upon a trail that led me to a mercenary named Bane. He has quite the reputation in various countries. As I looked deeper and deeper for more clues, I was ambushed by a woman here in Egypt. She was highly trained and wore clothing like I hadn't seen in a long time. I was able to fend her off before she disappeared."

"So let me get this straight. You were used to be a part of some society of superheroes who then began dying one after the other. Then some bimbo tried to kill you?"

"Basically, yes. And I believe the League of Shadows is behind it."

"And that's why you showed up there and were able to rescue me." Lois said as everything began to make since.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Carter slowly got up and grabbed his club. Lois stood as well and got behind him. He opened the door slightly and peaked out to find a tall, beautiful dark haired young woman standing there.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hall?"

"Who wants to know?" Carter replied.

"My name is Diana Prince. I have reason to believe your life is in danger."

* * *

Back at the Daily Planet, Chloe was busy taking on stories all by herself. She no longer had Lois to team up with, not that she really needed Lois, but her company was enjoyable. She checked her phone again to see that she had no new text messages. It had been almost three days since Lois last checked in with her. Just as she began to worry again, the newest owner of the Daily Planet walked in.

"Chloe Sullivan, can I have a word with you please?" Bruce announced.

Everyone on the floor looked in Chloe's direction and back at Bruce.

"Sure Mr. Wayne, let me just save this document real fast."

She closed the article and shut her computer off before joining Bruce in the elevator.

"What did you want to talk about Mr. Wayne."

"I wanted to talk to you about your old friend Clark Kent."

Chloe smiled at the sound of Clark's name. She missed her best friend more than anything in the world and couldn't wait for him to return home.

"How do you know Clark Mr. Wayne?"

"We've met before. He's an interesting individual Ms. Sullivan."

"I have to agree with you there." Chloe said with a quick glance at Bruce. _Why is he all of the sudden interested in Clark? Had Clark done something recently that I'm not aware of? I have to get to the bottom of this now. _Chloe was now very nervous about where the conversation was going.

"I just wanted to find out a little more about him. I've learned that the two of you used to write together in high school and I just want to hear from someone close to him about his writing."

"Ooohhh," Chloe said in relief. "Clark is an amazing writer. He's currently taking online classes through Met U and is majoring in journalism. Why do you ask?"

"Well he has sent me a few articles over the past year but I haven't received any more recently. I've decided that I want to publish them in the Planet as part of a new section just for Clark."

"Wow. That's amazing; Clark is going to be thrilled."

"His stories about his travels are incredible and I think the people of this city and the people around the world have a lot to learn from him."

"I agree with that too, Clark is one of a kind."

"Well when you talk to him again, tell him to give me a call."

"I definitely will Mr. Wayne."

"Please Chloe, call me Bruce."

"Ok, Bruce."

"Now, do you have any plans for lunch? I've grown a bit hungry and would also like to discuss something else with you."

"That sounds great, I'm totally free."

"Outstanding," Bruce exclaimed as they exited the Daily Planet and got into Bruce's limo.

* * *

Lex sat alone in his office. He was exhausted from a day full of board meetings and just needed a glass of scotch. He went over to the mini bar and fixed himself a drink. The buzzer rang as his secretary called through.

"Mr. Luthor, Ms. Mercer is here to see you."

"Thank you, send her in."

Tess strolled through the doors and walked directly over to the bar and fixed her own drink.

"Rough day?" Lex asked.

"Slightly." Tess shook her head. "I'm going to say this for the last time Lex, I do not like Miranda! She blocks everything I try to do, no matter what it is. I can't take it much longer!"

"Tess calm down. Listen, you are important part of this company. I wouldn't be where I was today without you. But Miranda is also a valuable member as she has direct ties to Wayne Enterprises. I need her for now, I hope you understand."

"Whatever Lex, it's your company. If you can't see that she's trying to ruin you, I'll just have to prove it."

"Tess, promise me you'll let this go. I have enough to deal with as it is. This campaign is a lot tougher than I expected it to be. I know I'm going to win but it hasn't made things any easier."

"Fine." Tess said while folding her arms and walking over to the window, peering out across the city of Metropolis.

Lex walked over beside her, "You just have to be a little patient. I promise you, one day this will all be ours. We will control everything together…sis."


	28. Black Canary

After spending the afternoon with Lana and Oliver, Clark was determined to find the connection between Oliver and the League of Shadows. He had found out that before Oliver's boat had wrecked, he was on his way to Australia to meet with a Queen Industries subsidiary. Knowing that the attacks on Paradise Island were made possible by an Amazon in Aresia, Clark had a hunch that there was someone in Oliver's camp who had helped the League of Shadows. He told Oliver his plan to investigate in Australia, which brought a smile to Oliver's face.

"You're something else Clark. I don't know how to put it. Just do me a favor and talk to that pretty little reporter girlfriend of yours. "

"I'll give her a call as soon as I sort this thing out, I promise," Clark replied even though every minute not being with her was killing him.

He got out of bed and walked over to the balcony of his hotel room. He slid the door open and stepped out into the fresh Australian air. He reached down and picked up the hotel brochure and found the food service section and picked out his breakfast before ordering. Oliver was nice enough to put Clark up in a beautiful hotel in Sydney, Australia. Clark had spent the previous night talking to several different employees of the Queen Industries subsidiary but had found nothing that might point to the League.

Clark finished his breakfast and decided to go for a walk. As he walked his thoughts were on nothing but Lois. He had spent so much time in the past few months focusing on his trials that he hadn't had any time to designate to Lois. But before he could get another moment of Lois to himself, he heard multiple sounds coming from the alleyway to his right. He narrowed his eyes and looked through the building as two men walked towards a young woman who had been knocked to the ground. Clark sensed the danger but before he could move, someone sprang onto the scene and knocked the two men out before they knew what hit them. Clark sped around to the corner of the building and peaked around as another woman was now standing over the two men. She had blond hair and wore a skin tight black outfit with yellow trim, along with fishnet stockings.

"Are you alright mam?" The woman asked.

The young woman on the ground nodded and got to her feet. "Thank you! Wait, you're her! You're the one they call the Black Canary."

The woman now identified as Black Canary leapt up onto the ladder and climbed to the lowest balcony before jumping across the alley to the next building and then disappearing onto the roof where Clark already was, waiting for her. She froze at the sight of him and began to back up.

"Wait a second, don't go!" Clark urged.

He took a step towards her, which proved to be a mistake. She opened her mouth as an extremely high pitched cry came out. The sound hit Clark causing him to double over and hold his hears as the sounds damaged his sensitive ear drums. He felt blood on his hands and looked around as the woman had managed to escape. He stood back up and slowly regained his hearing. He picked up the sounds of dogs barking, cars honking their horns, babies crying, and finally the sound of heavy breathing and quick footsteps. He took off in the direction and in a matter of seconds caught up to woman, grabbed her and threw her up against the wall.

"What was that for!?" Clark asked angrily.

"I thought you were one of them."

"One of who?"

The woman looked into his eyes and smiled, "Then just who exactly are you, stranger?"

Clark let her go and stepped back as she eyed him up and down.

"My name is Clark. I'm not going to hurt you. Who are you?"

"Black Canary as some call me."

"Black Canary? So I see where you get that cry from." Clark put his hand close to his ear which was still ringing.

"I'm sorry about that. I just thought you were another one of them or someone else."

"Who else would I be?"

"Let's just say I've angered some bad people, people who are after me."

"Why don't you just leave?"

"Because I've never ran away from anything and I'm not about to start. Now it's your turn to share a little about yourself. You are faster than anyone I know, how is that possible?"

"It's a long story really. Look, is there some place we could talk? We are kind of in the open here."

She nodded her head in agreement and motioned for Clark to follow her when suddenly there was the sound of a gunshot. Clark heard it first and whipped his head around to see a bullet speeding at Black Canary. He looked from the bullet, to where it project from. He followed the path up to the top of one of the buildings where a man stood. He wore what looked like a red patch over his right eye and had a unique looking gun attached to his right arm. Clark followed the path back to the bullet as is closed in on Black Canary and with a quick swat, he knocked the bullet off of its intended trajectory, and missed Dinah by a foot as the bullet flew into the brick wall.

Dinah ducked and turned towards Clark as another bullet was fired in her direction. As she began to close her eyes, she saw Clark step in front of her. She heard another series of gunshots fire off but none of them hit her. She heard the sounds of small metal objects landing on the ground all around her. Before she knew it, she was no longer on the ground but floating through the air. At first she thought she was dead. Soon the familiar noises of the city of Sydney rang into her ears. She opened her eyes and let out a small canary cry when she realized she was flying above the city. She then began to notice two big arms wrapped around her. She turned her head back up and her eyes met Clark's.

"How are we doing this?" She let out.

"Canary, relax. I'm a pretty good pilot."

"My name is Dinah and you're not flying anything!" she quickly looked around trying to find some answer for what was happening.

"Don't worry. Here, we've arrived at our final destination." He said as they landed on the roof top of an abandoned building.

He set Dinah down and turned facing the city as the wind blew through his hair. The sun's rays beamed down on him as he took a deep breath and looked down at his chest. His shirt was ripped and torn from the impact of the bullets but he was completely unharmed. It was the first time he had ever tested his body like that.

"Are you okay?" Dinah asked as she walked over beside him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"So what happened back there?"

"Maybe you can tell me. Dinah, there was a guy on the roof. He was aiming at you."

Dinah stared at the ground. "What did he look like?"

"He wore dark pants, a black jacket and had something red covering his eye."

As soon as the last word fell from his mouth, Dinah whispered, "Deadshot."

She then grabbed Clark and took him to the nearest restaurant where she changed out of her outfit and put a brunette wig on.

"Clark, we have a lot to discuss."

* * *

Carter opened the door as Diana Prince walked in and spotted Lois.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know you had company."

"I wasn't expecting anyone else," Carter replied.

Diana nodded and then turned to Lois and extended her hand, "Hi, Diana Prince."

Lois shook her hand, "Lois Lane."

Diana shook her head, "Lois Lane, as in Clark Kent's Lois Lane?" Diana said slightly shocked at the idea. She looked at Lois more closely and noticed how beautiful she was. For the first time in her recent memory, she was actually intimidated by another woman. This was the woman, who after all, had captured the heart of the most powerful being on the planet. Secretly, Diana had kind of hoped that Lois didn't actually exist and that maybe it was just a fantasy of Clark's. But there she stood, perky as ever and already in attack mode.

"How do you know Clark?" Lois quickly responded.

"I met him a few years ago in Gotham. He then visited my island not long ago and saved my people from an attack."

Lois looked at Diana suspiciously. Had Diana been the reason for Clark to cut off communication with her? Was she the real reason Clark left in the first place? Lois couldn't help but wonder. She had gone so long without hearing his voice that she had felt more and more lonely and vulnerable. It didn't help that the woman who stood before her was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She looked fit too, like a warrior princess.

"What do you mean saved you and your people? From who?"

"They call themselves the League of Shadows." Diana explained. "They are a secret organization that seeks out be the balance in this world. When something becomes too powerful or great, they destroy it. They are full of some of the world most deadly assassins. Clark took them out and sent them packing."

Lois smiled again at the sound of Clark's heroics. It brought her back to that night in the barn with Wes and how Clark had bravely stepped in sent him packing as well.

"And that is why I'm here." Diana said as she turned to Carter, "I think they are after you now and one of my sisters may be the one targeting you."

"You mean the pretty blond who already attacked me?" Carter replied as he grabbed the liquor bottle again.

"Already? I had no idea Aresia had already gone after you. I see that you survived just fine."

"Trust me, I've survived much worse." Carter groaned and took another shot.

"We already know about the League of Shadows, we just came from one of their main headquarters." Lois interrupted.

"You mean you were snooping around and got in over your head and I swooped in and saved you." Carter corrected her.

"Tomato tamoto. Look, they were extremely weakened by Clark and I don't think they are going to be doing anything anytime soon."

"Then I must go there now! I must find Aresia and bring justice to her."

"Not yet Diana, as much as I'd like to march right in there, we are strongly outnumbered." Carter interjected.

"I don't think you quite understand what I'm capable of Mr. Hall." Diana said with ferocity.

"Okay, let's calm down for just a minute. There's no need to get all worked up right now." Lois chimed in. "Diana, where is Clark? I would have guessed that he would have come with you knowing someone else might be in danger."

"Clark is searching for Oliver Queen. We discovered he was a target as well but Clark is still hoping that Oliver somehow survived."

Lois bowed her head. "Oliver is the reason why I'm here. I was investigating his disappearance after a lead led me to Dubia. There's a lady there by the name China White, who's working hand in hand with the League of Shadows. She is connected to Oliver's disappearance. She was at the mansion with Mr. Ducard."

"Lois about that, although he goes by Henri Ducard, his real name is Ra's al Ghul." Carter explained. "He's lived for centuries and is what you call immortal. I've only encountered him once and he is not someone who will just go away."

As soon as the last words left Carter's mouth, the lights went out.

* * *

Clark had finished his lunch with Dinah who had just told him about Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad. She explained how the Suicide Squad was designed by the U.S. government to run certain black ops type missions. They were a group of super powered people and Deadshot happened to be a member. They had been targeting Dinah for a while now after she messed up one of their missions in South America. As shocked as Clark was to hear about the U.S. governments' involvement in something like the Suicide Squad, he felt to need to share with Dinah the information about the League of Shadows. As they walked down the street, Clark began the conversation.

"I fear that there is an even greater threat to us than the Suicide Squad. They're called the League of Shadows. They don't just consist of one country; they are global and very secretive. I've encountered them once already and I'm sure it will not be the last."

Before he could continue, Dinah interrupted him. "This doesn't have anything to do with Oliver Queen does it?"

Clark stopped walking and grabbed her arm, "What makes you think that?"

"Not long ago I was in Dubia on a job. I came across an individual who had many connections. I only know her as Ms. White. My mission was to discover what she had been working on. When my cover was blown, I was attacked by a rogue of assassins. If it wasn't for my cry, I'm not sure I would have made it out of there alive. In the chaos of the attack, I managed to grab a few files. One of these files happened to be of Oliver Queen. When I got home, I did some more investigating and stumbled onto a series of events that coincided with the same circumstances as Oliver's disappearance. I knew that a powerful group was behind it but what you just described sounds just like them."

Clark was surprised by how quickly she put that together. "Your assumptions are correct. Oliver is fine, I found him and he is on his way home as we speak. "

"That's good." Dinah said as a smile formed wide on her face as she looked away from Clark.

Clark studied her face and then asked, "What is it? Do you know Oliver or something?"

Dinah blushed, "I do. When we were teenagers, we dated. I thought he was the one back then but my special abilities never allowed me to seek a future with him. He was too popular and being associated with him was too risky so I broke it off. He never knew my secret."

Clark couldn't believe it. "You broke up with Oliver Queen? I've never heard that one before." He chuckled to himself.

"Enough about me and Oliver, I think you need to go to Dubia and confront that organization. I'd go with you but I have my own agenda to deal with."

"Fair enough Dinah. Our paths will cross again, I just know it."

Clark headed back to the hotel with a new plan before completing his journey. After Dubia, he was going back to the fortess to complete his training and then he would return to Smallville. But first, he had a phone call to make. He picked the phone up and dialed Lois' number. The phone rang and rang before going to voicemail. Clark hung the phone up and then re-dialed again. This time the phone was answered but not by Lois.

"Hello?" Clark said.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The voice on the end asked.

"I'm trying to reach my girlfriend, this is her number."

"Ah yes, you must be Lois Lane's boy."

"Who is this?"

"My name is China White. I'm sorry to inform you that I won't be able to let you speak to Lois."

Clark clenched the phone tighter in his hand.

"What have you done with her?"

"She's not here but you will no longer be able to reach her at this number."

And like that, the phone went silent. Clark continued to listen but there was silence and then a dial tone. He set the phone back down and stared out the window. Fire began to form in his eyes and within seconds he was out the door.


	29. Battle Royal

**Chapter 29- Battle Royal**

"What was that?" Lois asked in the darkness.

"I'm not sure. Stay down and don't move. I'll go check it out," spoke Carter. "Diana, stay with her."

Carter stumbled around the room, knocking things over before finding the door. He tried opening it but it wouldn't budge.

"The door's jammed, I can't open it!"

Lois fumbled around in the dark as she tried to locate her phone to use as a flashlight. It wasn't in her pockets or her purse. Then she remembered she must have dropped it back in the League of Shadows mansion. She tried to make out the dark object that was quickly moving through the room but it was too dark to make anything out. The backup generator finally kicked in and the lights dimly lit, making it difficult to see clearly.

Carter was clutching his club ready to attack whoever the intruder was. Diana was now standing in a fighting stance, lasso in hand, ready to battle. Lois stayed down and looked under the tables, scanning the floor of the room. There was no sign of anyone else in the room. Lois slowly stood up and noticed Diana.

"Cool it cowgirl, I don't think there is going to be any rodeo's around here," joked Lois.

Diana turned and gave her a sharp look but also smiled. As Diana turned her head back towards Carter, a black metal blade was thrown through the air, slicing a single hair off of her head, and stopped in the wall beside Lois' head. Lois slowly turned her head to the wall and recognized the bat shaped blade and smiled.

A shadow emerged from the corner of the room. Carter and Diana stood side by side ready to fight as the shadow drew closer before becoming visible.

"What the hell?" Carter let out.

"Stop whoever you are! If you take one more step, it may be your last." Diana ordered.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the deep voice came from the dark object.

Lois knelt down again and covered her mouth, "Oh no."

And with that, Diana sprang forward and tackled the intruder, landing on top. She was kicked off in a matter of seconds, crashing on top of a table. Carter took this opportunity and attacked as well, swinging his club down only to meet the floor as the intruder barely dodged out of the way. Carter was then immediately struck in the face multiple times. He swung the club again in the direction of the intruder but came up empty once more and was promptly kicked in the stomach hard enough to knock him off his feet.

Diana had regained her composure at this point, grabbed a hold of her lasso and twirled it above her head before releasing it and locking on to the intruder. She then yanked across, throwing him into wall, where he landed hard on his back. She pulled again and threw the intruder back across the room as Carter connected with his club, sending the man through one of the tables Lois had previously been hiding behind.

The intruder laid motionless as Carter bolted forward, stopping at his head. Diana leaped over and landed at the foot of the body as the two shared a look and nod. Diana tightened her grip on the lasso as Carter bent down in attempt to remove the intruder's mask. As soon as his fingers made contact with the mask, it emitted an electric shock, throwing Carter backwards. Smoke suddenly spread out around the body as Diana's vision became impaired. Her lasso was ripped from her hand and her feet were swept out from underneath her, sending her crashing on her side. Both Diana and Carter got to their feet trying to search through the smoke for their attacker.

As the smoke started to clear, the intruder was nowhere to be seen. Lois peeked out from her place of shelter, behind a trash can of all places, and saw something shoot from the corner. Suddenly Carter was grabbed and sent across the room. Then a series of bat blades cut through the air heading for Diana who threw her wrists up and deflected each blade with her bracelets. Suddenly her lasso was thrown at her, grabbing one of her wrists and was pulled forward, knocking her on her knees. She slide a few feet before maneuvering around and dug her feet into the ground, coming to a full stop. She was about to yank the lasso towards herself, when Lois suddenly ran in front of her.

"Stop! All of you! Stop!"

"Lois, get out of the way!" Carter yelled.

"No, you all are-"

"Back up Lois!" Diana screamed before pulling the lasso towards her. Out of the smoke Batman came flying attached to the end of the lasso and attempted a drop kick, which Diana blocked and swiftly stepped to the side. In one super-speed motion, she grabbed Batman by the throat and raised him into the air. Carter appeared beside her and was about to strike when Lois grabbed ahold of his shoulder, stopping him.

"He's not an enemy! You all are on the same side!" Lois urged.

"Lois, what are you talking about?" Diana asked.

"Let me introduce you all to Batman."

"Batman, this is-"

"Hawkman and Wonder Woman, I know who they are." Batman calmly announced even though Diana was still holding him in the air.

"Batman?" Diana asked, lowering him to the ground and releasing her grip on his throat. "Oh, because he dresses like a bat?"

Lois rolled her eyes, "I forget you haven't seen much of the world."

"So you are real," said Carter as he stepped forward and extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you Batman."

"Likewise, Hawkman." He then turned to Diana, "Sorry to scare you, I just wasn't sure if you could be trusted."

"Well luckily Lois stopped us from doing something we'd regret. Speaking of that, Lois, how do you know him?"

Lois chuckled, "Long story princess. Let's just say I have my sources."

"Spoken like a true reporter," Carter laughed.

"So what brings you here Batman?" Diana asked.

"I've been keeping an eye on Lois, as well as Hawkman. When I picked up some activity that involved both of them, I decided it needed my attention."

"That's good because it definitely does," said Lois. "It's the League of Shadows. They're back. They already attacked her home island, tried to assassinate Hawkman, and almost killed me."

"That's impossible. The League was destroyed when Ra's al Ghul died."

"Well now a man named Henri Ducard is leading them and he's collected more members." Diana said, informingly.

Batman turned and walked over to the window.

"What's wrong?" asked Diana.

"Henri Ducard is Ra's al Ghul."

* * *

Clark soared through the air as he dialed Lois' number again and listened for the ring. Once he located it, he burst through the sky at supersonic speed. Within minutes, he landed through a hole in the roof of a mansion. He looked around and saw a series of desk with documents similar to the one's he found in Aresia's room. He realized he was in a League of Shadows headquarter. As he walked around the room, he x-rayed the walls looking for anything or anyone but the place was completely empty. Finally he located Lois' phone which had been left on a table and picked it up. He sighed in frustration as his mind ran wild with thoughts of what may have happened to Lois. His fists began to clinch in anger as he rose in the air through the roof and doubled check the house to make sure there was nobody in it. Once he was sure there was no one there, he used a blast of heat vision on the mansion, setting it ablaze. As the mansion burned, he closed his eyes and listened, focusing on Lois' heart beat. He picked it up a few seconds later and shot back up into the sky.

* * *

Election Day was right around the corner and Lex was more confident than ever. He had extended his lead in the polls and was cruising to a nice victory. But all the confidence in the world couldn't save him from the nightmare he had been having. Every single one of them involved the night he was kidnapped, within 24 hours of his father's death. There was a pain in his heart, unlike any he had ever felt. He sat in the limousine as it drove through the city of Metropolis. He watched the many families that roamed the sidewalks and the parks and felt the pain even harder. He dialed his phone, reaching someone he had worked with previously before.

"I have a job for you."

"What is it Mr. Luthor?"

"I want you to see what you can find out about my father's death."

"I'm not really in that kind of work anymore, besides, I thought it was ruled a suicide?"

"We both know that's not what happened. I have my suspicions and if I'm right, it changes everything. You know I pay well John."

"Consider it done Lex."

"Thank you, Mr. Corben. I knew I could count on you."

The limousine arrived at a building on the outskirts of town. Lex entered, going through a series of security scans before making his way to the heart of the building, 33.1, which happened to be underground. He walked into the lab and was greeted by Tess.

"Lex, nice of you to join us."

"How is everything going? I trust progress is being made?"

"Slowly. We are still having trouble finding the right dose amount. Two have died today already from over exposure. But everyone is sure we will figure it out, it's just a matter of time."

"Well time, is actually something we do have right now. As long as we are making progress, we are one closer to my plan."

"I'll make sure everything continues to run smoothly."

Lex reached out and grabbed Tess by the shoulders, "If there is one thing that I can promise after this is completed, it's that I will get my revenge. No one will control Lex Luthor ever again!"

* * *

"But you said Ra's al Ghul died? How is that possible?" Diana asked.

"There is a place called the Lazaras Pit. He spoke of it once before. He even mentioned the idea of immortality. I thought he was bluffing or talking about a myth. I fear that it is in fact real now and that means he won't be going away."

"So this guy never actually dies? I don't understand. So how do you stop this guy?"

"We just have to be ready at all times," said Carter. "Unless we go on the offensive and attack him."

"Not a good plan Hawkman. This would have to be well thought out and well planned." Batman proclaimed.

"I think its best that we sit back and observe them. If they make any moves, we'll be there to stop them." Diana announced to the surprise of both men.

"I agree, Wonder Woman. When the time is right, we will do what is necessary."

"Besides, I have a friend who I can always ask for some assistance," Diana said with a smirk as she glanced at Lois.

"What do you mean? Lois, what is she talking about?" asked Batman.

"Well, the thing is-"

Just then, something burst through the wall, knocking everyone down except for Lois who was now standing in the arms of her boyfriend. The three heroes looked up from their temporary daze to see a red and blue blur streak back through the hole in the wall and Lois no longer standing there with them.

"What the hell was that?" Carter asked angrily.

"That was the assistance I was talking about," Diana smiled, looking through the whole in the wall out at the Egyptian desert.

Batman immediately pulled out a tracking device as he stepped through the hole and watched the dot move across the screen.

"That's some kind of assistance, shouldn't we go get Lois?" Questioned Carter.

"Something tells me, Lois is just fine." Batman remarked as he hopped on a specialized black dune buggy.


	30. Reunited

Lois had closed her eyes as she was swept off her feet and taken away. She tried to breathe but the air was moving so fast that she was unable to. She opened her eyes but only saw a flurry of objects flying past, too fast to make them out. Everything was happening so fast that she hadn't had time to figure out what was going on. Then she felt his arm tighten around her waist and adjust his hand on her hip. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his body and smiled.

Clark landed and stood Lois up looking into her eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine, I wasn't in any danger!" She said in a bit of frustration .

Lois finally opened her eyes and saw the look of concern on his face. She forgot everything and jumped back into his arms as he caught her.

"I don't ever want to leave this spot again," she cried as tears fell down her face.

Clark held her close and cradled the back of her head as she cried into his shoulder. A smile formed across his face as the weight of the world had once again been lifted off his shoulders by Lois. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back.

"It's okay Lois, it's okay."

Lois lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"I missed you so much Smallville. When we lost contact, I didn't know what to think. I was going crazy not being able to talk to you and know you were okay."

"I know, it took every ounce of strength for me not fly to you every time I felt the urge. You never left my mind, not even for a second. I monitored your heart beat the entire time we were apart in case you were ever in any serious trouble. I was connected to you at all times."

Another tear fell down her cheek. "That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

And with that their lips met for the first time in years. The feeling was the same but different at the same time. It had moments of their very first kiss as well as moments of something brand new. The three years a part had done nothing but strengthen their love for each other. Clark was lost once again in everything that was Lois Lane. He had longed to see her again, to feel her, to smell her, to kiss her. His wait was finally over. He was broken out of his trance when Lois pulled away from the kiss and covered her mouth as she stared past his shoulder. She finally realized they standing on top of a pyramid.

Clark followed her gaze and turned around looking upon the Egyptian desert. He smiled, knowing exactly where they were.

"You really know how to treat a girl Clark Kent." Lois said in admiration. Even when he wasn't trying, he still blew her mind.

"I do what I can," Clark sarcastically shrugged.

They sat on the pyramid and watched the sunset. Lois leaned on to Clark and rested her head against him as he put his arm around her.

"Lois, do you mind telling me what you are doing here in Egypt?"

Lois closed her eyes knowing he was about to get upset with what she was about to tell him.

"A man named Carter Hall brought me to that place you just knocked a hole into. I was investigating Oliver's disappearance and somehow found my way into the League of Shadow's headquarters."

"You willingly went there?"

"Calm down, I was about to be toast when Carter crashed in and saved me. Which reminds me, if you were able to hear my heart beat and detect if I was in danger, where the hell were you?"

"Lois, your heart beat never changed. Probably has something to do with those Lane genes and not being afraid of anything. That kind of makes it difficult to know whether or not you are in real danger."

"Well next time I'm in danger I'll be sure to switch up my heart beat frequency. Sound good?"

"Very funny Lois. Now tell me about this Carter Hall? I ran across his name before and a friend was actually looking for him."

"Oh you mean the Princess?" Lois said with a raised eye brow.

"The what? How do you know tha-"

"Smallville, I'm not one of the Daily Planet's top investigative reporters for nothing."

Clark gave her a not so assured look.

"Fine, I just met her. She was there at Carter's when you blurred in."

"I didn't even realize it. I didn't take the time to identify the others present; I just wanted to get you out of there as soon as possible."

"Well you missed your bat friend too."

"Bruce?"

"Yep, seems he's been looking out for me."

Clark blushed as she stared into his soul, raising an eyebrow and biting her lower lip.

"Okay, okay. I may have stopped by and asked that he keep an eye on you while I was away on my trip," admitted Clark.

Lois smiled, "Well I appreciate it but I can hold my own."

"Until your facing the League of Shadows all by yourself," blurted out Clark.

"One time Smallville, one time! Another word about that and you'll pay for it."

Clark chuckled and held her close again. It was like they hadn't missed a single beat in their three years a part. Clark rubbed her arm and felt the bracelet on her wrist.

"You're still wearing the bracelet!" Clark said with excitement.

"Of course I am, I've barely taking the darn thing off since you gave it to me. See this tan line here?"

He smiled, "You're a keeper Ms. Lane."

"Of course I am," she joked and punched his arm. "You're worth keeping around too Smallville."

They held each other until Lois spoke again.

"So about this Princess…"

"Lois, before you even start, she is a good friend. That is all."

"Clark I know. I'll admit upon first meeting her, I was slightly threatened. She's beautiful, tall, strong, in great shape and apparently has some super powers. But after listening to her, I began to understand her a little bit better. She's actually wonderful. I just want to tell you how proud I am of you for what you did for her and her people."

Clark smiled, "Thanks. Diana is a special person. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of her."

Lois smacked herself in the face and immediately regretted doing it.

"Ow!"

"What did you do that for?"

"Here I am blabbing about some princess when this whole time you've been searching for Oliver, the reason I'm even here in the first place. Please tell me you found him!"

Clark smiled again, "I did. In fact he should have arrived back in Star City not too long ago. Lana is with him."

"Oh my god Clark! Just when I think you can't surprise me anymore, you go and save Oliver." She hugged him again. "Oh! I need to get back home so I can be the first to interview him. Come on let's go!"

"Lois, I know for a fact that Oliver is going to save his first interview for you. I already discussed it with him. Besides, the news of his return won't break yet. Lana had already arranged for a secret return so nobody will know. When he's well rested and ready to make his return public, you will be the one behind the story. Let's just have this one night together and the rest of the world can wait until tomorrow."

"That sounds perfect," she said as she leaned over and kissed Clark again.

They then laid on their backs as the sun had gone completely down and gazed upon the stars. In doing so, it triggered Clark's memory of venturing out into space. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the words of Jon Jonzz played over and over in his mind. _"He's Kryptonian Clark. He's been going from planet to planet, destroying everything."_

Lois sensed something was wrong. She sat up and leaned over Clark.

"What is it Smallville?"

Clark took another a deep breath, not sure how to tell Lois what was going on in his mind.

"Well to begin and don't freak out, but I went into outer space."

"You what?"

"Actually I went to Mars."

"What do you mean you went to Mars? What the hell for?"

Clark then told her about his encounter with the martian.

"So you met another alien? A martian?"

"Yes Lois, but that's not what has me worried. It's the cause of the destruction of the life on Mars."

"What was it? And how was this not news? I figure NASA or someone would have picked up on something going on."

"The Martians had some kind of technology that made them undetectable to us."

"So then, what was the cause? Civil war? Disease? What?"

"There was a disease that started to spread but the ultimate cause was someone named General Zod."

"Zod? What kind of name is that?"

"It's a Kryptonian name."

Lois' jaw dropped. "Clark," she exhaled.

"I know. There are more Kryptonians out there. Jor-El told me I was the last survivor but it seems Zod and his army somehow escaped as well." He looked back up at the stars, seeming to search for something.

Lois took a moment to gather her thoughts and to choose her next words carefully as she could tell Clark wasn't sure how to deal with it all. And it was true, Clark hadn't actually had time to process the news of Zod or even his trip to space.

"Listen, if anything were to ever happen that involved this Zod guy coming to Earth, I have all to confidence in the world that we would all be safe because you are here to protect us."

"But how can you be so sure I can do all of that? I'm just one man."

"Clark Kent, you are no ordinary man, you are a man of steel. I know you better than I know myself. There is so much untapped potential in you. I saw that potential the very first time I looked into your eyes, before I knew about your abilities and your origin. Your father was right when he told you that you would change the world someday. You've already changed my world and many others as well. And guess what, I'll be right beside you every step of the way. We'll face Zod and his goons together."

Clark pulled Lois on top of him and caressed her head. "Every time I feel myself beginning to slip just a little bit, you're always there to straighten me out. You are my greatest strength. And once again Lois Lane, you are one of kind."

Lois smiled big, "And don't you forget it Smallville." She then pushed her face into his and they kissed once more as a green light shot across the sky.

In the distance, on an adjacent pyramid, stood a figure holding a pair specialized night vision binoculars. He focused in on Lois and Clark and smiled to himself as his dark cape swayed in the wind. He tucked the binoculars back into his utility belt and sighed to himself, "Touché Clark."


	31. Settling Down

**One again, thanks for all of the reviews and feedback. Hope everyone keeps enjoying this story!**

* * *

Three weeks had passed since Clark had returned to Smallville. Martha and Jonathon were more than happy to have their son back, and Shelby hadn't left his side. Clark had enjoyed being home and sharing his stories of his trip with his parents. Martha covered her mouth at certain parts of his stories, in particular the one about his run in with the League of Shadows. When he had told them about his trip into space, Martha almost passed out as Jonathon caught her.

"I need to go lay down for a moment." Martha breathed.

Jonathon led her to the couch and motioned for Clark to follow him outside. They walked over to the barn as Jonathon began moving hay bales around. Clark joined him, not saying anything but waiting for his father to speak.

"Listen Clark, about everything you've experienced on your trip," he paused and placed a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Look, I'm glad that you've began to test what you can truly do. And I know that know you'll be fine. But you have to understand, your mother is always going to worry about you as if you had no abilities. And with this League of Shadows still out there, I know you want to go after them but I feel like it would be best in the long run if you didn't, at least for now."

"But Dad, they could attack at any moment."

"I understand that perfectly, but it sounds like there are others on the case, others that are more personally connected."

"They almost killed Lois, that's pretty damn personal!"

Jonathon rubbed his forehead before continuing, "I know you want to track them down and get some type of revenge Clark, I understand that. But revenge is something you need to be careful with. It can cause you to do things you wouldn't normally do. And with your abilities, I'm just afraid you'd do something you would regret. I just want you to try and balance your emotions."

"I've learned to control my anger better than before dad."

"I know son. But you are still young and you still have your whole life ahead of you. You should be focusing on things closer to home right now."

"Like what?"

"Well for one, finishing up you college degree. It's important that you get a good education son. And it will come in handy in the future when you decide what you want to do with your life. There's more out there for you than stopping bad guys. And then there's the matter of visiting Jor-El. And don't think I forgot about your space trip. That we will discuss in greater detail later. So first, college and then Jor-El. Got it?"

Clark took a deep breath before nodding in agreement. He knew his father was right and he was surprising eager to move forward into the next stage of his life. He headed up to the loft and found Lois asleep on the couch. She had stayed on the farm every night since he had been back and had spent the least amount of time at the Planet since she had been hired. As he went to wake Lois up, he heard a car pull up and went outside to check it out. An older man stepped out of a Cadillac and spotted Clark in the doorway of the barn.

"Kent? I've been looking for you." The man said while almost tripping over a wheel barrel.

Clark had no idea who this man was or what he wanted.

"You are Kent right? Of course you are, who am I kidding. A tall, dark haired man like you is the only thing that could keep Ms. Lane away from the Daily Planet!"

Clark straightened up as he realized who the man was.

"You must be Mr. White?"

"Yes, Perry White," he said and shook hands with Clark.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"

Perry laughed, "Well I'm here on two matters. One is to get Ms. Lane's butt back in Metropolis. She wrote one of the best damn articles I've ever read in regards to Mr. Queen's miraculous survival and return to civilization, and then she up and disappears to this farm here in Smallville. After doing some digging of my own and with a little help from Bruce Wayne, I finally tracked her down to her boyfriend's home."

Clark raised his eye brows slightly, not sure what Perry wanted him to do.

"Okay.."

"So I need you to get her back to the Planet pronto. If it wasn't for her cousin, I would be screwed. The fact that two of my best reporters are still in college either says that the profession is in a bad state or I've simply struck gold with young talent. Look at me Kent, if those two cousins ever realize their full potential, guys like me and you won't have a chance." He said with a smile. "I'm sure you realized a long time ago, am I right?"

"Yes sir. I know exactly how it feels to be caught in the middle of those two, especially during a story. High school was a scary place with the Lois Lane and Chloe Sullivan show."

Perry busted out laughing although Clark wasn't exactly joking.

"I like you Kent. You've got something that most men I've met don't have. I can't quite put my finger on it but you're special. Which brings me to my second matter, Mr. Wayne has made it a point to publish a few of your articles in the Planet. At first I was skeptical because I had never heard of you, but after I read your stuff I was impressed. And that's not easy to do. Your story on that South American tribe was inspiring and heartfelt. In fact, I had only read something with that much heart only once before, in a story written by the young lady who I assume is probably asleep upstairs there."

Clark was shocked by the words Perry had spoken.

"I..I..thank you sir. It means a lot coming from someone like you."

"You're quite welcome. I actually came here to see if you were interested in a job. I could use someone of your character around to keep Ms. Sullivan and Ms. Lane in check. I believe you are the man for the job."

"But Mr. White, I thought most places frowned upon co-workers dating."

"Well Kent, I think you'll come to realize that I'm not like the others. Plus when the owner of the company wants something, you do it. Take some time to think about it and give me a call next week with your decision. I presume you'll be finishing up college soon and you will be looking for a job. Here's a shot rarely given to most, you won't regret taking this job."

"OK, I'll think about it. I'm honored that you have considered me and I want to say thank you."

Perry began heading back to his car as Clark followed. "You are very welcome. Now I must get going. There are stories that need attending to. When Ms. Lane wakes up, please tell her to get her behind in her desk. And remind her that she still has that Luthor story to write." He got in his car as Clark leaned over the window. "Oh and I almost forgot. This is for you." It was a copy of today's Daily Planet. "You're first story was published today. I thought you might want this."

Clark smiled and shook Perry's hand again before Perry turned his car around and headed back down the long gravel driveway.

* * *

Oliver woke in his bed in a cold sweat, leaving his sheets soaking wet. He wiped the sweat from eyes and sat up on the side of the bed. He looked out the window and squinted his eyes as the sunlight flooded the room. He rubbed his head and looked around the room.

"Lana, must have left already." He muttered to himself. "Good, she didn't need to see this."

Just then there was knock on the door. He turned and saw Chloe standing there.

"Chloe? Wha..what are you doing here?"

"Well that sounded welcoming." She joked and walked closer.

Trying to keep Chloe away he spat out, "Just wait a second, at least let me get dressed!"

It was too late; Chloe saw the look on his face and then noticed he was drenched in sweat.

"Ollie, are you okay?"

He hesistated, "I.." He covered his face and looked down at his feet. "I..no Chloe. I'm not okay."

"What's going on?" Chloe asked while pulling a chair up and sitting in front of Oliver.

Oliver took a deep breath before speaking.

"I've been having trouble sleeping. Every night I go to bed, I wake up drenched in sweat and unable to breathe. It always starts out with a normal dream but quickly turns into a flashback of my time on the island."

"What kind of flashbacks?"

"Well, as you know, I spent an extended period of time on that island. But I haven't been completely honest about the island itself and the people on it."

"There were other people on it? But I thought you were stranded there alone."

"I lied."

"Why?"

"Because it would have left too many questions, too many questions for me and the things I had to do."

"What are you talking about?"

"The people on that island, they weren't good people. The things they did, the things they were planning…" He closed his eyes.

Chloe reached over and grabbed his hand. "Oliver, it's okay."

He stood and turned around, exposing his back to Chloe. She covered her mouth in horror.

"They tortured me Chloe. They were going to kill me too, if wasn't for her."

"Who?"

"Shado. She was also captured on the island but managed to escape. She stumbled upon me and another man named Slade Wilson. We were both kept prisoner together before she rescued us. She taught me how to survive, how to live again."

"Where is she Oliver?"

"She's…she's dead." He said as tear fell from his eye. "I couldn't stop them. There were just too many and I didn't have enough arrows."

"Arrows?"

"She taught me how to shoot. I got really really good too. She was such a great friend to me at that place. She had saved my life but I couldn't save hers. And it plagues me every night."

Chloe's heart broke for Oliver. "Oliver, I had no idea." She said and leaned over, embracing him as tears fell down his face.

Oliver slowly sat up and looked Chloe in the eyes. "How long have you known about Clark?"

Chloe straightened up, "What do you mean?"

"How long have you known he was special?"

"Special? I mean sure he's a special guy. There aren't many good guys like him left."

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about his powers."

Chloe opened her eyes wide. "Oh. Ummm, well it was back in high school. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering how Clark deals with it all. He doesn't even seem to realize the power he has. If I could do what he can, I would do so much."

"Well, Clark has already done a lot. His journey is just beginning if you ask me. Why all of the sudden questions about Clark?"

"I don't know, I've just been thinking about what I'm going to do now with my life. I've seen first-hand the things Clark can do and he's given me idea, I'm just not sure it's something I'll be able to do. Besides if it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"What do you mean?"

"He's the one who rescued me."

"Of course he did, well count me as one who fell for the Chinese fishermen story. I tell you, my cuz can write a pretty damn convincing article. I can see why you chose her to write it."

Oliver chuckled for the first time that morning. "She's one of kind. She didn't even show too much sympathy when I told her the real story. She told me to suck it up, that she had just escaped some thugs down 31st street just that morning. I think she was trying to make a joke."

"No, that really happened. She smashed a guys head through some glass and kicked the other in a rather unpleasant area. Stuff like that happens to Lois almost every week. I don't even try to stop her anymore."

"That sounds like Lois." Oliver then reached out and grabbed Chloe's hand, "Thanks for the set of ears; I needed to get some of that out. I haven't been able to talk to anybody else since I got home."

Chloe was taken aback, "Really? Not even Lana?"

"No especially not Lana."

"Why the hell not, she's your girlfriend. She spent the whole time you were missing, looking for you."

"If I told her the things I did on that island, she would never see me the same way."

"But she would understand why you did them, you just have to tell her."

"Chloe you don't understand, I've killed people, a lot of people. That island turned me into a monster. I can't share that side with Lana, I wouldn't do that to her. She deserves so much more."

"Look Oliver, I'm not trying to tell what or what not to do, but if you're going to continue seeing Lana then you have to tell her now, for both your sakes."

"There's something else."

"What's that?"

Oliver pulled a picture out of another woman out of his pocket.

"This was the only thing that kept me going while I was on that island. It was her, it's always been her."

"Who is she Oliver?"

"Her name is Dinah."

* * *

Lois was woken up by a stack of papers hitting her in the face.

"What the hell!?" She said as she quickly sat up ready to pounce on whoever had thrown the papers on her.

Clark stood over by window with his arms folded. "Your boss just stopped by. It seems you haven't been around work too much lately."

"I'm getting Perry his stories, that's all that matters."

"Apparently not Lois. His exact words were 'get Lane's behind back in her desk.' He also had a little help from our friend Bruce in tracking you here."

"Well the Planet can wait. You're more important. I missed too much time with you to have spent these past few weeks doing much of anything else."

Lois then began reading through the day's issue of the Daily Planet. Clark continued to speak.

"I understand that and it's been amazing. But you have a life and you need to live it. I don't want to the one holding you back because you make me too important."

Lois quit reading and looked up sharply at him. "Excuse me? You didn't just say what I think you just said."

"Lois, I stand by that. The Daily Planet is your life too. I know that you are truly yourself when you are out there chasing down a story."

"No, Smallville, I'm truly myself when I'm with YOU. Sure, journalism is in my blood. But you are in my heart. I can't believe you would think otherwise."

"I didn't mean it like that. I only meant that I don't want to keep you away from what you love to do. I just fear that I may hold you back because of who I am. Do you realize what would happen if the world found out about me?"

"Clark, listen to me. One day, the world will be ready for you. I've never doubted you before and I think everyone else will do the same."

"But Lois, you don't understand. You are not like everyone else. There's a reason why you are the only person I've ever willingly told who I was. My father has always believed that if the world, and particularly the government, found out who I really was; they would reject me…out of fear. He's been convinced that the world isn't ready for someone like me."

"But one day it will. And I will do everything in my power to help that come true."

Lois looked back down at the paper and read some more.

"Hey have you heard about some of these isolated civilizations down in South America? I haven't finished it yet but it's beautifully written. Almost as good as something I would produce. I can't even tell whose work this is. It's definitely not Chloe's. Lombard couldn't pull this off if he tried. Cat is incapable of writing something of this length…or depth."

She read some more as Clark kept quiet and simply stood there smiling as he watched Lois read his story for the time. When she neared the end, she searched for who it was written by.

"Okay, who wrote this bad boy? It must be someone from the international paper. Okay here we go, written by…"

She stared at the paper in almost disbelief. She slowly let the words fall from her mouth, "Clark…Kent."

Clark smiled even bigger at the look of surprise on her face.

"Is this a joke? Did you...how did…when did you write this? No, when did you send this in? Hold on! Why am I just now finding out about this?"

"Hmm. Maybe you're not as good of an investigative reporter as you thought Lois. Maybe there's someone else out there ready to give you a little competition." Clark said with a big smirk on his face.

"Okay Smallville, wipe that look off of your face right this second."

"I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise. I had planned on doing this before I even left."

"Really? I…I don't know what to say. Just when I think you can't surprise me, you do. So is this a regular thing now with paper."

"It could be. Perry just offered me a job just before he left. I told him I would let him know next week."

Lois sprang off the couch and jumped into Clark's arms. "You're taking it! Oh my god I have to call Chloe with the good news! No wait, I have another phone call to make first." She said while pulling her phone out and dialing a number.

"Wait a second, don't I get a say in this?"

Lois shook head no as the person on the other end of the call answered.

"Hello? Perry? Yes it's Lois. Yeah…I know…I don't care about that right now…Yeah….Okay I'll take care of that tomorrow…Well Lex can kiss my a….Fine…..By the way, Clark said he will take that job offer. When does he start?...Yes it was his decision….I would never force him to do anything….Next Tuesday? Sounds great, I'll let him know….Yes, I will….Oh before you go, don't forget your wife's gift….it's sitting on my desk….It will look beautiful on her….Don't question my taste, sure it's not from the 1970's but it is elegant nonetheless….Okay have a safe trip….Bye bye."

She hung the phone up as Clark stared at her.

"Would never force me to do anything? Did you hear yourself say that?"

"Oh please, Perry knew the truth, besides it's not like you weren't going to take the job anyways. I just went ahead and made it easier on you." She said with a smile while wrapping her arms around his neck.

Clark shook his head and bent down to kiss her. He knew very well that there was no way in hell he was going to turn that job down but he had planned on teasing Lois the entire week with it. Still, this felt good. He now began to envision his future at the Planet with Lois. Things were beginning to fall into place but he still needed to return to the fortress and that meant leaving Lois again.


	32. Back in the Saddle Again

The sun rose early in the morning, shining light onto the leaves that lay on the ground, their colors beginning to change. Clark was woken up by a knock on the window of his room. He opened his eyes and saw his old friend Louie the cardinal, standing on the window sill. He smiled and started to sit up before realizing he was sandwiched in the bed between Lois and Shelby. Lois was snuggled up next to Clark, pressing her back against his body and Shelby in a deep sleep with his head resting on Clark's chest. There was a knock on the door and Martha entered. She smiled at the sight of Clark and Lois and Shelby all lying together. Clark shrugged his shoulders and rubbed Shelby's head.

"Clark, you and Lois need to get up soon if you're going to make it to Metropolis in time."

"I'm sorry, I thought I told you. You see I have this unique ability to get where I need to go in seconds. I can't believe we never told you about it," He said with a sheepish grin.

"Haha very funny, does your 'unique ability' help you fix your own breakfast too?"

Clark quickly frowned, "I'm sorry Mom. We'll be down in a minute."

An hour later, Lois and Clark were entering the front doors of the Daily Planet. For the first time in Clark's memory he was wearing a suit. After a half hour of arguing with both Lois and his mother, he finally gave in and put the suit on. As they stepped into the elevator, Clark loosened his tie just a bit but it was quickly tightened by Lois before Clark could make a move to stop her.

"No Smallville, you are going to look sharp today. Now, stand up straight and smile. Good, because today I am going to show you off. You wouldn't believe the way people talk around here, always trying to set me up with guys. Nobody believes you actually exist to be honest. And hopefully Steve will finally get the idea that I'm taken."

"Steve? Steve who?" Clark said as a look of concern spread over his face.

"Just some shmuck who thinks he has a chance with me."

"He has a chance of getting his ass kic-"

"Whoa Smallville, you can't even think about that. One little heat vision miss fire and we'll have serious problems beyond Steve Lombard."

Clark nodded his head and stared forward at the doors. _Sure, I won't use heat vision but that doesn't mean I can't teach him a lesson._ He looked over at Lois and smiled as the doors opened to their floor. Lois led Clark over to their desks where Chloe sat, talking on the phone. The desks had been rearranged so that Chloe and Lois sat across from each other while Clark was place in the middle to form a triangle. Clark took a seat at his desk and touched his name plate, spinning it around to show Lois, who simply smiled. Clark then turned it towards Chloe and whispered her name to get her attention. When Chloe turned her head, she stopped her conversation on the phone to laugh at Clark's reaction to his name plate.

Perry White walked out of his office and stormed into the bullpen.

"Lane! What the hell are you doing here?"

Lois leaned back in her chair and bit her pen. "What's the matter chief? I thought you missed me."

"You were supposed to cover Luthor's press conference this morning."

"Chloe covered for me."

Perry looked at Chloe who nodded and went back to her conversation.

"Well isn't that convenient. Anyways I managed to set up another interview with him for later today and I'm sending you."

Lois frowned at the idea. "Why don't you send Clark here?"

Clark raised his eye brows at Lois and then turned to Perry.

"Ah Clark, I'm glad you made it in today. Excuse me everyone! We have a new member of the team here today. Ladies and gentlemen, Clark Kent."

Everyone looked up from their desk and acknowledged Clark with hellos and friendly waves, while not paying him too much attention. Clark waved back and turned towards Perry again.

"You know what Lois, I think I will send Kent. As a matter of fact, you can go with him. I'm sure there are a few things you can show him. I already know there are things you can learn from him."

Lois started laughing, "No offense to Smallville, but Perry you can't be serious. I love Clark to death but he doesn't have any experience in the field. What am I supposed to learn?"

"Well for one, when to keep your mouth shut. Like right now. See, Kent isn't saying a word and that's exactly what he should be doing."

Clark watched as the two went back and forth. He then looked over at Chloe who wasn't paying any attention. He looked around the room to see if anyone was watching the confrontation but everyone was busy at their desks. He then gathered that this was a very common occurrence and that it most certainly wouldn't be the last.

He watched Lois the whole morning, mesmerized by her presence in the room. Everyone seemed to watch her every time she left her desk. The girls all looked up to her, even the older ladies. The guys stared her up and down as she glided across the room as if she were walking on clouds. Clark smiled when Lois had come back with two cups of coffee and placed one in front of him.

"Drink up; we have a long day ahead of us."

"Lois, you know this doesn't affect me in any way."

"Yes but it's what normal people do so you might want to at least get in the habit and pretend that it does."

She then left again to retrieve a few copies from the copy machine. A tall, handsome man walked over stood beside Clark's desk.

"She sure is something, isn't she?"

Clark turned around and looked up at the guy who was staring at his girlfriend.

"I don't know who you paid or who you know, but I admire your ability to waltz in here and immediately get a desk right beside the hottest reporter in this city. But I hate to be the bearer of bad news, she's way out of you league pal. In all honesty, I'm probably the only one in this office that she sees as a sexually compatible option. I'm pretty sure she fantasizes about me too. Lord knows I fantasize about her."

Clark felt his fist beginning to clinch around the arm of the chair he was sitting in, causing it to slightly bend.

"You must be Steve." Clark said through his teeth.

"So I see Lois has already been talking about me, figures. Hey don't worry; apparently she has a 'boyfriend.' I think it's just a front. She's probably just intimidated by someone of my stature which I can't blame her for. And with a little help, maybe one day you can achieve the same level of awesomeness as me."

"Is that so?" Clark now found his eyes getting warm. _Just say one more thing, one more thing and I'll shut you up for good._

Just in the nick of time, Lois came back over and put her hand on Clark's shoulder.

"What's going on over here?" She asked as she noticed Clark's grip on the chair.

"I was just giving Kent here some friendly advice."

"Yeah, Steve is just full of wise newsroom wisdom." Clark said while rolling his eyes at Lois.

"I was just telling Clark that he shouldn't expect his relationship with you to go beyond the newsroom. I was just saving you the trouble of having to tell him that Lois."

Clark re-tightened his grip on the chair again.

Lois smiled at Steve and then looked down at Clark.

"What time are you picking me up tonight?"

Clark stared at her trying to remember if they had a date that night but nothing came to his mind. Then he caught on to Lois' game.

"8 p.m."

"Great. I just bought this strap-less red dress that's just perfect for tonight."

Steve narrowed his eyes trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"That sounds wonderful, strap-less dresses are much easier to take off," Clark said with a seductive smiled.

His smile hit Lois hard and made her body tingle. Even though they were acting, the thought made Lois desire Clark's body right then and there in front of everybody. It took everything she had not jump on him and rips his clothes off.

She smiled back seductively and said, "Why do you think I got it? Now, we must get going if we're going to make it to LexCorp in time." She grabbed her purse and started for the door.

Steve stood there in shock at the conversation that had just taken place in front of him.

Clark stood up and faced Steve whose jaw dropped when he saw how big and tall Clark was. Even though Steve was a tall guy, Clark still towered over him. Clark began to walk after Lois but stopped beside Steve.

"By the way Lombard, in case you were wondering, I'm the boyfriend she always talks about. So you can go ahead and quit fantasizing about her now." He then patted Steve's shoulder, "Just a little friendly advice," and hurried after Lois.

* * *

Clark sat in the back of the taxi cab next to Lois and watched the people move around them. The city of Metropolis was unlike any other city in the world. It prided itself as being the "City of Tomorrow." But the high crime rate that had swept across the city in recent years had put a major damper on the slogan. Clark remembered where beloved restaurants and café's used to be. Now they were either bars or strip clubs. In some parts it had gotten so bad that the homeless people had begun to outnumber those who weren't. As Clark kept a watchful eye on his surroundings, his gaze fell upon the giant skyscraper of Lex Corp. It was in fact the same building he remembered but with a new touch to it. The letters of "Lex Corp" were now painted red, white and blue and emulated the American flag. There was also a huge campaign sign hung on the side of the building for Lex.

Clark's thoughts were interrupted when Lois demanded that the driver turn the radio up.

_"This just in, Gotham P.D. has just announced that the criminal known as the 'Joker' has escaped Arkham Asylum. There is no news in regards to his whereabouts but it has been reported that three guards have lost their lives in the wake of this breakout. If you have any information on this matter, please contact your local authorities."_ Read the voice from the radio.

"Wow. Just when you think they've found a secure place for these guys, something like this happens." Lois blurted out in frustration. "But on a good note, that makes for a good story which means I'll have to talk Perry into letting me go to Gotham."

Clark thought back to his conversation with Bruce about the Joker. Bruce had stressed that the Joker wasn't like any of the normal criminals he had gone up against. The Joker liked to take the best in people and turn it upside down. He didn't seek money or fame but thrived off of turning the cities best people into monsters. That was what he had done with Harvey Dent. He had tried to do it to Bruce and was more than likely to try again.

"Lois, I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want you anywhere near that city with that maniac on the loose."

"Oh don't worry, if I go you're coming with me."

Those words calmed him for the time being until they had arrived at Lex Corp. Clark stepped out of the cab and looked back up at the giant sign that had Lex's picture on with words that read _Lex Luthors City. _Clark shook his head and turned back at Lois.

"You know, it figures I would have to interview Lex on my first day. I'm sorry but I really don't think this is such a good idea either. Lex and I didn't leave things on good terms and if anything I'll probably just upset him and ruin the interview." Clark protested.

"Not so fast, you're not wiggling out of this one. Just follow my lead and let me do most of the talking. Our main objective is to find out what he has planned for the future if he wins the election."

Clark looked around nervously, "Okay, but I'm just warning you, things could go bad. I mean really bad."

As they entered the lobby they ran into Bruce.

"Lois Lane and Clark Kent, my two favorite reporters." Bruce said as he spotted them and walked over with Miranda Tate.

"It's nice to see you again Bruce," Clark said and shook hands with him.

"Same here Clark. Let me introduce you to Ms. Miranda Tate. She handles all the dealings between Lex Corp and Wayne Enterprises, which means I don't have to do any work." Bruce said with a laugh.

"It's nice to meet you Ms. Tate."

"It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Kent. Bruce has told me a lot about you. And it's good to see you again Lois." Miranda said with a half-smile.

"It's always a pleasant experience, isn't it?" Lois said sarcastically and felt a nudge from Clark to be polite.

Clark took the opportunity to speak directly to Bruce, "You know on our way over, I couldn't help but hear about the convict who escaped. They guy they call the Joker. Do you all think he will set out to terrorize the city again?"

Bruce straightened his posture a bit but played it off in front of Miranda.

"Well with a little luck, maybe that guy that dresses as a bat will take care of this guy again. Lord knows the police will struggle." Lois spat out.

Clark laughed, "Easy there Lois, you're talking about Mr. Wayne's city and it's authorities. I'm sure Bruce would rather you speak more politely."

"Oh quit Smallville, look if this guy is out there again then it's up to Batman to handle it. Although he doesn't exactly have to do it alone this time if didn't want to."

Bruce stared at her with a puzzled face.

Clark also stared at her, wishing someone would change the subject. Luckily Tess had walked up and greeted Lois, who introduced her to Clark. Bruce and Miranda said their goodbyes and Lois and Clark followed Tess to the elevator where they made their way up to Lex's office.

* * *

Lex was waiting for them at his desk. He motioned for them to take a seat and got up to fix himself a drink.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous return of Clark Kent. How's it going Clark? Long time no see, huh? Did you get to experience the world? Find your sense of purpose?"

"Something like that Lex. I guess you could say I'm back in the saddle again. I see you have changed things. It almost reminds me of our younger days in the mansion. Oh how things have changed over the years."

"You know, I'm actually surprised you came today. When I found out you would be working for the Daily Planet, I wondered if I'd ever get the chance to have you interview me."

"Actually I'm the one here to interview you, Clark is just tagging along for the day." Lois butted in.

"Of course, Ms. Lane. Please, ask away."

Lois went through a series of basic questions about Lex's campaign and some his strategies. Clark paid attention to how Lois asked certain questions and how she formulated follow up questions. Once again he was amazed by her persistence. However, Lex was no push over and didn't give any true details to what he had planned for the future. Finally Clark couldn't take it anymore and interrupted.

"What is your angle Lex? I know you and I know that you have something planned, something big. What exactly is it that you're after?"

Lois shockingly turned towards Clark and then looked back at Lex to see if he was upset. Lex gave Clark a smile and started shaking his head. Clark wasn't backing down.

"Well Lex?"

"You were always one to judge me Clark. You always knew when I was up to something. That's part of the reason I used to consider us brothers. So in the spirit of nostalgia, I'll answer your question. After I win this election, I plan on making the city of Metopolis the greatest city this planet has ever seen. After I accomplish that, who knows, I just might aspirations for the oval office. Now that you can print."

Clark stared Lex down as Lex stared back. Lois looked back and forth between the two, watching the game of chess they were playing.

"Those are pretty big dreams Lex. Didn't Lionel have similar desires? How did that turn out?"

Lex's face went from smile to a menacing stare.

"Don't talk about my father. You know nothing about him." Lex snarled and then checked his watch, "Well I believe this interview is over. I trust you will see your way out."

Lois had never seen anything like it, the tension in the room between the two men was unreal. And Lois had also never heard Clark speak the way he just did. She had to admit, it was intimidating but she found a new admiration in her boyfriend. _He's going to be just fine in the field. _She thought to herself as they both got in the elevator.

Before the elevator doors shut, Lex stepped in front of them and spoke one last time.

"I'll be seeing you around Clark."

"I'm looking forward to it Lex."

* * *

As they walked through the lobby Lois was on a tear about what Lex had said he planned to do.

"Boy is Perry going to love this. Do you realize what we just accomplished Smallville? We will be the first ones to know and report Lex's future plans. Nobody else has even come close to uncovering anything from that man."

"If you say so Lois, I'm just glad to be away from him."

Lois frowned, "Cheer up, we have much to celebrate. And I don't say this often, actually I've never said this before."

"What's that?"

"Another reporter impressed me today and it's not because you are the love of my life. I've never seen you so dynamic and intimidating. It's like you've been doing this for years."

Clark laughed, "Honestly, I just took what I learned from watching you interview him and simply put myself in there."

"Well keep doing that then because between the two of us, no one has a chance. If Lex Luthor spilled the beans then that means anyone can."

Clark frowned and looked over at Lois as they walked, "He's hiding something else Lois. That campaign, Lex Corp, it's a big front. He's doing something and working with someone."

"How can you tell?"

"He's way too confident about his future. Sure, Lex is cocky and I admit a brilliant business man. But he is not someone to be trusted and I fear that if he gets too much power, this city will suffer the consequences. I swear on my last breath, I will not let that happen. So we must keep an eye on him from here on out. I've learned from past experiences that Lex is never doing what he says he's doing. As we speak, he is probably researching everything he can find on me in the past few years while I was gone."

Lois didn't know what to say. Clark had turned into someone completely different than when he was the sweet farm boy she had met in Smallville. But it wasn't a bad change. Clark was confident yet humble. He had knowledge of the world but still kept things confined. She longed to know what was on his mind. And like Lex, she wanted to know what he had planned for the future.

"Okay honey, calm down. We will keep tabs on Lex. In fact I may have a lead on something he's been working on. I didn't know what to do with until now." Lois said as she put her arm around his waist and leaned onto his body as they walked down the sidewalk.

Suddenly Clark stopped walking.

"What is it babe?"

"Shhh." Clark said and put a finger to his lips. He spun around and kept listening.

"Smallville?"

"Oh my god. Lois, I hear what sound like a monorail car that has lost its breaks and keeps accelerating. Everyone on board is screaming."

Just then they looked up and saw the monorail train speeding up above them. Clark followed the path of the train and saw the Metropolis train station about a mile down the track with thousands of people roaming around and boarding trains while others were waiting.

"Lois, I have to go. I can't just stand here and do nothing."

"Then go." Lois said with a smile. It was then that she found out what Clark had planned for the future. It was the look in his eyes. The same look she saw the very first time she met him. The same look the very first time he kissed her. The same look he had when he had swooped her off feet in Egypt. This was Clark embracing his destiny.

Clark turned to speed off but stopped and turned back to Lois. He looked deep into her eyes and then picked her up and kissed her. The kiss was so passionate that when their lips parted they both stammered backwards. Clark shook his head and adjusted his eyes before speeding off towards the out of control monorail train.


	33. Save Me

Clark had made his way to the nearest alley and shed his work suit to reveal a light blue shirt under a red jacket and blue jeans. He then shot up into the sky and headed for the train. As he rose above the city he found the train and accelerated forward. He slowed down enough to where he was going the same speed as the train. He carefully scanned all ten cars hooked together and counted the number of people. He then flew under the train quickly assessed the problem with the brakes. Realizing that there was no quick and easy fix, he flew to the back of the train and grabbed ahold of the last car. The train immediately began slowing down but not fast enough as the station was now within a hundred yards.

The people in the station saw the train barreling for them and they all began to scatter. The chaos at the station caused Clark to regain his focus on stopping the train. He dug his feet into the rails but felt the elevated track begin to give way from the force. Clark had to make a split second decision and did so by letting go of the train. He then accelerated forward again to the front of the train. He turned in mid-air and began to fly against the train.

The people inside the train watched as a mysterious figure in red and blue was trying to stop the train. Clark took a quick look behind him and saw the station closing in. With one last effort he pushed against the train causing the windows to shatter and the front of the car to bend inwards. The train cars began to slow rapidly, as each car bumped into the one before it. As the sparks began to fly off the rails, the train finally came to a full stop. Clark placed his feet on the rails and kept his hands on the train with his head down, out of view for anyone to see.

He took a deep breath and then he heard it. Someone had screamed. Clark looked to his left and saw a lady pointing towards the rear of the train. Clark raised his head slightly, still keeping out of view, and looked through the train to see that the last car was beginning to fall off of the track. The entire train began to roll backwards as the last car slid off the track.

Clark flew around the train and saw the second to last car was about to come off as well. With a quick blast of heat vision, he melted the cables that connected the two cars, leaving the last car to fall towards the ground. Clark then blasted through the air and landed under the train just before it was about to hit the ground. He caught it, causing his feet to sink in the pavement. He slowly balanced the train and lowered it to the ground. He scanned the car and found that no one was hurt.

He heard another scream and watched a young boy hanging from the last car still on the track. The boys hand slipped from the older man that was trying to pull him up, causing a collective gasp from the crowd that had gathered on the station platform. The boy had only fallen ten feet or so before Clark swooped up and caught him, then landed back down on the ground with his back facing the crowd.

Clark set the boy down, he was only thirteen maybe, and checked to see if he was okay. The boy looked at Clark and smiled.

"That was awesome!" The kid screamed and hugged Clark.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

The boy looked at his arms and legs and replied, "Yep, not even a scratch!"

"I'm glad you okay." Clark said and rubbed the boys head.

"So you can fly huh?"

"Well…yes. Yes I can."

"What's your name?"

"I'd rather keep it a secret."

"I'm going to call you _The Red/Blue Blur. _Wait, no that's not right. How about just _The Blur?"_

Clark laughed, "I like it. And what can I call you?"

"You can call me Jimmy, Jimmy Olsen."

"Jimmy huh? I thought he was a photographer at the Daily Planet?"

"You know my big brother? That's so cool! His actually name is Henry. I'm the real Jimmy," the boy laughed. "One day I'm going to follow in his footsteps and work side by side with the great Lois Lane. She's so pretty."

"I think I have to agree with you there Jimmy. She is beautiful. But I have to get going."

"So you can save more people?"

"If they need it. Now stand back."

"Mr. Blur?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. I'll never forget today!"

"Just try to be more careful from now on out. I'll see you around Jimmy Olsen."

And with that Clark shot back up into sky and disappeared from everyone's sight. The crowd screamed with joy as everyone began hugging each other and rejoiced in the miracle that had just happened in front of their eyes. A police officer finally made his way over to young Jimmy and checked on him.

"Did you see The Blur? Did you see him? Did you see what he did?"

The cop ignored him and instead picked him and carried towards the station where his parents were waiting.

"Mom and Dad, did you see The Blur? He's so fast! And can fly! Did you see him catch me?"

His parents scooped him and hugged him for dear life.

* * *

Lois had quickly made her way to the train station and had already got over a dozen statements from those on the train as well as the bystanders who witnessed it all. The local news stations began arriving in drones as well as law enforcement.

"What the hell was that?" One guy exclaimed as he looked into the sky.

"Was that a person?" Another asked.

"I don't know, whatever it was, it was amazing," a young woman spoke.

Clark had successfully made his way through the crowd, now dressed in his suit again, and joined Lois' side. He placed a hand on her shoulder which caused her to turn around quickly. When she saw it was him, a tear fell from her eye.

"You have no idea how incredibly proud I am of you. There just aren't words to describe what I feel for you right now. Love just isn't strong enough."

Clark smiled, "Lois, I'm just glad everyone is oka-"

He couldn't even finish his sentence before Lois locked her lips onto his. They stood there amongst the large crowd, completely lost in each other once again. Finally Clark pulled away from the kiss.

"Lois, shouldn't we get back to Planet?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. We've got to get both of these stories written before eight tonight, which means you get to type."

"What's at eight?" Clark asked.

"Our date…my red dress, remember?"

Clark opened his mouth to speak but stopped and smiled.

"I thought that was all an act."

"Oh it was but after the thought of it lingered with me the whole day I decided that it was going to become real. I already have the red dress. I was just waiting for the perfect time to show it off."

"Well then we better get going shouldn't we?"

When they got back to the bullpen, the room was buzzing about the alleged super hero. Steve Lombard had a small group around him as he discredited the event that had taken place saying that it was a totally impossible scenario to begin with and that the whole thing was hoax. The older Jimmy had another group of people around him as he told them the story his younger brother had told him over the phone just minutes before.

Lois disappeared into Perry's office and Clark found his chair where he left it earlier. He sat down and looked around the room. Not a single person was paying any attention to him. _This is the perfect cover. Not only will I be closer to news, nobody will ever suspect me as being the Blur. Did I really just call myself the Blur?_

His thoughts were interrupted as Chloe came over and sat on the edge of desk.

"So how's the Blur doing today?"

"Chloe!" Clark said while looking around quickly. "You can't even mention me and the Blur in the same sentence unless it's about an article that I'm doing."

"Calm down Smallville."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you do not get to call me that. Only Lois does. Besides you're from Smallville too."

"True but your actually from Krypton so the name doesn't correctly apply."

"It doesn't matter Chloe, Lois is the only one."

"Fine Clark. Anyways, I just wanted to stop by and tell you how proud I am. It's so wonderful to see my best friend becoming who I always knew he would be."

"Thanks Chloe. And I'm sorry we've kind of drifted apart the last few years. I promise that will change from now on."

"Oh come on Clark. I knew what I was in for a long time ago. We'll always be best friends no matter what. And you know you can always come to me with anything."

"Same here. I know I spend almost all of my free time with Lois but if you ever need me for anything, I'll be there in a heartbeat."

"I know that Clark, you always have. But there is one thing I would like for you to do."

"What's that?"

"It's about Oliver. I think he needs you Clark."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

"Look, I just know that he's going through a very difficult time right now and you are the only one who might possibly know how he's feeling and what he's gone through."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Just talk to him. He needs a friend right now, someone like you."

"Okay I will."

Lois now joined them with coffee and donuts. They sat at their desks and smiled at each other before settling in and getting to work. Clark patiently waited as Lois thought for a minute.

"Well go with _The Blur _story first since that will be the most demanded one. I talk and you type, okay?"

"I don't know Lois, it feels weird writing a story on myself."

"No, it's on the Blur, not Clark Kent. Now type."

After an hour, they were finally finished.

* * *

Lois and Clark spent the evening at dinner and then went for a walk until they arrived at the doors of the Ace of Clubs a little after ten o'clock. The club was dimly lit, and to Lois' surprise, the theme was 80's night.

"Oh. My. God. Clark. The band is dressed up as Whitesnake! I have to get a picture with them! Come on!"

"Lois, you know it's not actually Whitesnake. There's no point in getting a picture with another band that dresses like your favorite." Clark said while laughing at the whole idea.

Lois turned on Clark quickly and snapped at him, "Listen carefully Smallville, this is the closest thing I've ever had to the real thing. Now, you are going to do nothing but keep quiet, smile, and dance with me the rest of the night. Got it?"

Clark could tell that Lois was not joking one bit. "Okay sweetheart, whatever you want."

"Good, now let's blur our way over there, honey." Lois said with a big smile and grabbed Clark's hand, pulling him towards the music.

Clark spent the next half hour watching Lois dance to every song the band played. He loved watching her do anything. Dancing was one of his favorites. There were times when they were alone that Lois would dance around in the loft with nothing on but one of Clark's t-shirts. Her favorite one had become his old Louisville Cardinals shirt because it always reminded her of Louie the cardinal. She would dance and sing power ballads using her brush as a pretend microphone. Clark always got a kick out of her Pete Townsend impression when she pretended to smash her air guitar after a song was over.

This night was no different as Lois, amongst the crowd that had gathered in front of the band, was dancing and playing her air guitar to the music. Clark had excused himself and found a table a little ways from the dance floor so he could sit back and watch her like he usually did back on the farm. He was surprised when Oliver walked up behind him and took a seat at the table.

"Hey Oliver, what are you doing here?"

"Oh you know, just living up to the playboy persona I've built up all of my life." He said with a sarcastic tone.

"Really? You don't really sound like you want to be here."

"You know I used to enjoy this, the club scene. But now, now I just don't know."

"What's up buddy?" Clark asked innocently.

"It's just, ever since I've returned from the island, I've felt a need to do something different with my life. It's like I know that I'm meant to do something meaningful."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure yet. I have a few ideas, I'm just not sure how to go about them."

"What kind of ideas do you have?"

"I'd rather not say right now but if I go after them, you'll know Clark."

"Okay…well how are things with Lana since you've been back?" Clark said as he looked around but saw no signs of her.

"Things with me and Lana have changed, a lot. I admit it's mostly my fault. I've sort of pushed her way. Every time she tries to get closer, I retreat into myself."

Clark shook his head as he knew very well what Oliver was going through.

"Look Oliver, I've already gone through the exact same dilemma. And what I learned is that when you find the person you want to share everything about yourself with, you'll know. If Lana is not that person then so be it. It took a while for me to realize it but I finally did. You just need to think deep down about who that person is and the rest will come."

Oliver smiled at Clark's words, "Thanks for that Clark. I needed someone to reassure what I felt."

"I'm glad Oliver. I hope it really helped."

"It did and now I have a few phone calls to make."

"Lana being one?"

Oliver frowned, "Her's will be the toughest."

"Just explain it to her Oliver. Allow yourself to be honest with her about your feelings, trust me it will go along way. She's one of my best friends now."

"I know Clark. I fear that she's really going to need you after we talk. Try to help her understand, please."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her."

"Thanks Clark. And I'm heading back to Star City for a while but I'll be seeing you around."

Oliver shook hands with Clark and promptly left. Clark refocused his attention back on Lois who was now walking his way, calling him towards her with her finger. When she reached Clark she leaned over and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Come on, let's dance."

Right on cue, the lights dimmed down as a slower song began to play. Clark stood up and led Lois onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her in close. Lois looked into his eyes and smiled. Clark did the same.

"There's one more place I want to go tonight," said Clark

"Really? You have to admit, it's been a long day with the Planet and then Lex and then you becoming the biggest thing to hit Metropolis. I don't know if I can take much more, I just want to go back to the farm and share a tub of ice cream with you." Lois said while brushing a finger along his cheek.

Clark laughed, "As much as I would love that, I'm going back to fortress tonight and I want you to come with me."

Lois' face lit up again. "Okay," she breathed.

"So you think you can manage the trip?"

"I think I can handle it," she whispered into his ear.

* * *

Tess opened the door to her condo and set her keys and purse down on the table beside the door. She flipped the light switch but the room remained dark. She switched it off and back on again but nothing happened. She pulled her phone out and began to dial the number of the maintenance man. Before she completed the number, a modulated voice spoke from the other side of the room, making it hard for her to tell who it was.

"Ms. Mercer we need to talk."

Tess searched the dark but didn't see anything. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Just then the blinds to her sliding glass door opened and let the moon's light enter the room, lighting it up enough for Tess to see a hooded figure standing by the window.

"Lex Luthor, what is he up to? I know about his facilities, what's he doing in them?"

Tess smiled, "I don't know what you think you know but I can assure you that whatever it is, it most certainly doesn't concern you." She said as she grabbed a gun that was taped under the table beside her. She quickly pointed it at the hooded figure but before she could pull the trigger, the gun was knocked from her hand. She looked to her left and found her gun hanging from a green arrow that was stuck in the wall. The arrow was placed perfectly through the hole by the trigger.

"Now Ms. Mercer, it's time you sat down and answer my questions."


End file.
